The Untold Grimes
by HeroJustInTime90
Summary: When all hope is gone in this walker infested world, will Rick ever find his family? Will anyone remember that family matters? Join as we go to the past and present day with Rick Grimes' older daughter Kat, their struggle as a family and their loss in this life. (Hopefully story is better! Review please!)
1. Chapter 1: Waking up

**Chapter 1: Waking up**

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><p><em>~14 years ago~<em>

_Sitting down and reading my news paper, I sipped on my coffee as I chuckled, watching her run to me. Her brown curls bouncing as she skipped towards me, her bright blue eyes and happy smile made me smirk at her. _

_She stopped to stand in front of me, her sweet face kind and warm. Her hands behind her back as she swayed slightly from side to side. This made me raise an eyebrow and chuckle. "What'cha got behind your back there?" I question and she gives me a toothy giggle. This made me smile and pull her to me._

_Tickling her sides gently, Lori watching us and smiling softly. Her hazel eyes witnessing the interaction between me and the giggling joy in my hands. She wriggled and tried to get away from me. "Fine! Daddy...let me breathe...please!" she giggled and gasped as I just chuckle. _

_"What do you have for me?" I asked her again and slowly Lori walked up behind her, resting her hands on the little girl's shoulders and kissing her cheek. _

_"Why don't you show daddy what you have for him sweetie?" she suggested to the little girl, her blue eyes sparkling up at Lori as she gave her a small grin._

_"I was getting to that part mommy," she said sweetly, her voice warmed up my soul and made me chuckle at her. Pulling her to my side, I sat still and watching her intently. Gently, I pushed a loose curl behind her ear and away from her face._

_"So...what is it you have behind your back baby girl?" I asked her and she smiled shyly. Her cheeks blushing softly as she looked down, moving her hands away from behind her back and to her front. Her eyes on the little box she had in her hand._

_"A present," she answered softly while she looked up at me with those big, bright blue eyes and grinned. This made me smile widely at her, my own blue eyes examining the box and then glancing at her face._

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><p><strong>Present day...(RPOV)<strong>

A beeping noise echoed in my ear as it surrounded the pale room I was in. My eyes fully opened, vision blurred but getting clearer. The familiar face of Shane, my partner at work and best friend since I could remember. He held a bouquet of flowers in his hand as he slowly walked towards me. His body doubled, tripled as he moved. My vision hazy.

"Hey bud," he spoke as he leaned down to look at me. "You're still here...we're still hanging in," he said as he checked to see if I was listening to a word he spoke. He shook his head "I'm sorry man," he said as he "I know I say the same crap every time I come in here," he spoke as he leaned back up to stand straight.

"Everybody pitched in on these," Shane said as he looked to me then back to the flowers. Touching the petals lightly. "They...ah...they want me to bring them down. They say that they send their love and they just...they hope you come back real soon, so..." he paused and chuckled. Touching the petals again.

Shane than began mumbling something I couldn't exactly catch. "They picked these out. You probably could tell...huh?" he questioned as he kept touching the flowers nervously. It was as though he was talking to himself and not to me. "I'm just going to set these on your side table okay?" he asked me as he moved away from me.

Blinking I remembered something. "That vase...that's something special. 'Fess up. You steal that from your Grandma Jean's house? I hope you left her that spoon collection," I said as I chuckled to myself.

There was no answer...just the sound of my laughter which then turned into my coughing. "Shane?" I called to him as I turned my head to look at him but found no one beside me. "Shane? You in the John?" there was still no answer. Instead I decided to look around the room and saw that the flowers had grown old and dry...dead.

Slowly raising my tube covered hand from being in the hospital, I saw as it slowly deteriorated between my fingers, the crisp petals falling to the table and landing silently. Moving my head to the other side, I saw how the watch on the wall wasn't moving. Frozen.

Wriggling as best I could to one side, all while pulling tubes off of me, I pulled the covers off and gapped as I tried not to scream from the pain in my side. Grabbing anything I could, I held on and fell to the floor trying to get onto my feet. "Nurse...help!" I called out as I pulled off the remaining tubes. My body too weak to get up on its own.

"Nurse!" I called out, my voice raspy and out of breath. "Help!" I called again...not a sound or movement came close to me. All there was...was silence. With all the force I had, I got up and waddled to the bathroom. Opening the door, I walked in and looked into the mirror. Stubble had crown, my face pale and bags under my eyes. I looked...terrible.

Opening the tap, I washed my face with water and drank as much as I could from it. My stomach filling up on it, as I walked out and headed to my bed. On the bedside table, something caught my eye and made me stop. Picking it up, I clutched it tightly and ran my fingers along the engravings._ My hero...My Daddy._ Slipping it over my head, to rest around my neck, I turned to the door and walked towards it.

A bed cart blocked the entrance, lights flashing and papers all over the floors as I moved the cart away from the door and looked down each hall. _Where is everyone? _Walking down the hall, I looked around and noticed that no one was around. _Just an empty hospital. _

Reaching the reception desk, it was dark and there was no light. I found a phone and put it to my ear. Dialing the number I knew off by heart and was surprised to hear nothing. Not even to tell me that the phone didn't connect to any signal. Rummaging around, I looked for anything and found a matchbox.

Pulling out a matchstick, I looked around for anything with any use and found nothing. I continued to walk along the lonely hall, stopping at a hall double doors as I saw the light flicker. Leaning a hand against the door frame, I looked down the hall and saw something I couldn't believe...a dead...eaten up nurse.

I decided to walk down the opposite hall and found myself into more shock horror. Bullet holes in the wall, blood pools on the ground, blood splatter on the walks and floor...broken glass on the doors...fallen roof tiles...dangling wires...and finally...the thing that scared me most. A door that read 'Don't open, dead inside.'

What worried me most was as I walked closer, I stopped to wonder what that had meant...and the next thing I knew the door began to be pushed. As though someone could sense I was outside and wanted nothing more than to kill me. A few fingers reached out to the chain, padlock and plank. Moaning, slamming and growling as they gasped and tried to open the door.

The fingernails long, dirty and untamed. Without another second, I stepped away and rushed as quickly as I could from it. Heading to an elevator to press the button. It didn't work. Finding a door, I saw that it led to stairs and shut it behind me. Leaving me in complete darkness. The smell of rotting flesh, humidity and the cold made me cough. Lighting a matchstick so I could at least see where I was going.

Walking cautiously down the stairs as I gripped the handles to lead me down. My finger tips burning as the matchstick would almost reach them. Hissing, I shook it and let it drop to the floor, pulling out another matchstick as I lit it and continued down the stairs. Gripping the walls as my feet would fumble on ever step.

Finding the exit, I didn't hesitate to shake off the matchstick and push the door open. The bright light from outside blinding me slightly, raising my hand and trying to block out some of the light. Walking out, I went as slow and quietly as I could down some more steps. Stopping at the bottom as the scene unraveled in front of me.

Lines of dead bodies were laid outside. Wrapped in white sheets, tied with rope and left on the street. Flies covered every one of them. From head to toe. Gaping, I would look around and see that some were shot in the head and some were just left to rot.

Climbing up a small hill, I tried to not focus on the pain in my side and the weight on me. The type of weight that gave me more pain and caused me to feel weak. Gripping the grass as I would climb up and stood still as I reached the top...

More dead bodies in blue bags, abandoned tanks, trucks and helicopters left there half destroyed. As I kept walking back down the familiar street I would drive to and from every day. It was deserted and there was no form of life. The limp in my walk wasn't as noticeable as before, the weight still gave me pain but not enough to want to stop walking.

Finding a tipped over bike, I picked it up and saw the upper half of a woman's body. The other half wasn't there, her once blonde hair was now thin and lifeless. Her guts spilled on the ground as she slowly turned to look at me. _Oh my god...Lord have mercy..._

Falling over, I saw how the woman looked at me, her jaw snapping at me. Her skin rotting and body torn. The woman I once knew no longer there. Her red-yellow eyes staring back at me. Hers were lifeless...souless and her hand reached up to grab me. Her body crawling towards me.

Picking the bike up from the handles, I walked with it as I tried to gain speed and wandered with it until I decided to sit on it. Peddling it and trying to get my balance right. Slowing down, I raised my leg and threw the bike to one side as I got to my feet. Stumbling up the steps and into the house.

"Lori," I called out into the house. The house I once called home. "Lori!" I shouted out a little loud as I wandered into the kitchen and into the bedroom. Random clothes laying around on the floor, suitcases unpacked and no answer to my calls.

Looking into the bathroom, I felt my heart pound with worry and uncertainty. "Carl!" I called out to my son, but there was still no answer as I tried to search for any familiar face that hadn't changed in any way. "Kat!" I screamed out hoping to get an answer from any of these names.

"Lori!" I screamed as loud as I could, my feet fumbling beneath me as I searched every room in the house. No answer. "Kat!" I shouted through the house, hoping for any voice and any face. Just a human response. One to give me hope...to give me some meaning. There was no answer at all...no form of life.

Stepping into the living room, I dropped to my knees and began to sob. My body shaking from my tears, from my confusion and pain. _Where are they? What happened? Is this real? Am I dreaming? Am I dead and in hell? What is going on? _These questions ran through my mind over and over again.

"Lori! Carl!...Kat!" I screamed while I sobbed, rolling on the floor to lay on my side. Sobbing to myself as I looked around my empty house. Touching the wood on my floor, I studied my hand and the label that was wrapped around my wrist. "Is this real?" I questioned myself as I examined the situation I was in. "Am I here?"

I felt like I was going crazy. Hitting my forehead with my hand over and over again. "Wa-wake up," I told myself as I cried. When I finally gained my composure, I got up and walked to the porch. Sitting down on the steps by the side of the road as I looked around. Wondering to myself if this was real life. If this was all a dream and I was still in a coma.

This was when I saw a man walking around aimlessly, he then stopped and turned his head to me. Far away in the distance, I tried to wave at him but all he did was walk towards me. A slight limp in the way he walked. I then heard a twig snap over my shoulder, a small figure behind me and that was when I felt something cold hit my face.

Dropping me onto my back with the connection of metal to my face. Blood dripping down my face, I could see it was a little boy and raised my head a little to look at him. He kept calling out 'Daddy' "Carl," I mumbled as I looked up at him. "Carl...I found you," I whispered.

"Daddy, I got this son of a bitch! I'mma smack him dead," Carl called out and this was when I turned my head to more footsteps. Another man held up his gun to the other man who was walking towards me. A loud bang echoed into my ears as my mind began to darken. The man fell down, dead as the other began to rush towards us.

"He say somethin'?" the man asked as he pushed Carl away from me. "Thought I heard him say somethin," he said as he looked between me and Carl.

"He called me Carl," Carl said as I looked at him, that was when my vision became clear for a second. There were two men, both black and one was older than the other.

"Son you know they don't talk..." the older man said. "Hey mister...what's the bandage for?" he asked me as he kept moving his son away from me. This was when I saw the boy holding a shovel in his hands.

"What?" I asked him confused, my head lifting off the ground as I looked at them. The older man had his gun pulled out, pointing it at me and his hands slightly shaky.

"What kinda' wound?" he asked his voice more stern and strong. Curious and threatening at the same time. "You answer me, damn you," he said through gritted teeth. "What's your wound," he kept asking me. "You tell me," he said as he got the gun ready to shoot me in the head. "Or I will kill you," he threatened as I tried to remember...but that was the moment I slipped into darkness...

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><p><em>~2 weeks before the outbreak~<em>

_We were sitting in our car, munching on a pick up we had a few minutes ago. We were pulled up and eating our lunch. Me and Shane just talking about anything as we waited for anything to happen which would need our attention. _

_"What's the difference between men and women?" I asked Shane as I handed him a napkin._

_"This a joke?" he questioned me and I just shake my head at him. Taking another bite of my food._

_"Nope," I answered after swallowing the bite. "Seriously," I added as _

_"Never met a woman that knew how to turn off the light," Shane said as we picked out our food together, picking up fries and eating them. "They're born thinking the switch only goes one way. On," he teased and this made me laugh quietly. _

_"Yeah," I agreed with him and looked out my window. Both of us still munching on our fries._

_"They're, they're struck blind the second they leave the room," he joked further. "I mean...every woman I ever let her have a key...swear to god. It's like...come home, house all lit up...and my job's apparently because...because, my chromosomes happen to be different and I then have to walk through that house, turn off every single light this chick left on," he spoke and I just look at him as he talked._

_"Is that right?" I question him and knew he was just saying that to say something._

_"Yeah baby, mmm," he said and bit his bottom lip. His hand reaching to the side to hold onto the side of the car and to smirk while he talked. "__Oh Reverend Shane is preachin' to ya now, boy," he says and I just chuckle at him. _

_"Then this same chick, mind ya, she'll bitch about, uh, 'global warming'. You see, this is, this is where Reverend Shane wants to quote from the Guy Gospel and say, "Um, darlin', maybe if you and every other pair of boobs on this planet could just figure out that the light switch, see, goes both ways, maybe we wouldn't have so much global warming?" he continued as he joked some more._

_"You say that?" I questioned him as I raised an eyebrow at him slightly. _

_"Well, the uh, polite version. Still, man, that-that earns me this look of loathing you would not believe and that's when the "Exorcist" voice pops out," he said with a small smirk on his face. "'You sound just like my damn father! Always, always yellin' about the power bill and tellin' me to turn off the damn lights!'" he said as he made his voice go deeper. _

_"And what do you say to that?" I questioned him again, a smile playing on my lips. _

_"I know what I want to say. I want to say 'Bitch, you mean to tell me you've been hearing this your entire life and you are still too damn stupid to learn how to turn off a switch?'" he says and we both burst into fits of laugher. Our shoulders shaking as we both looked away and then back at each other._

_"You know, I don't actually say that, though," Shane said reminding me that he wasn't a rude and carless prick. _

_"That would be bad," I said laughing some more._

_"Yeah, I go with the uh, go with the polite version there too, so..." he trailed off which made me chuckle a little and him smile. _

_"Very wise," I approved as I looked at him, a smile on my face as I held in my laughter. _

_"Yes sir. So how's it with Lori, man?" he questioned me as our laugher calmed down and it turned silent in the car. _

_"She's good. She's good at turning off lights. Really good. I'm the one who sometimes forgets," I answered him, keeping the joke going and earning a little chuckle from him. _

_"Not what I meant," Shane said when it turned silent again. _

_"We didn't have a great night," I answered a little hesitantly, not liking revealing my relationship with Lori. Especially not the rough times we share. _

_"Hey look, man, I may have, uh, failed to amuse with my sermon, but I did try. The least you could do is, is speak," he suggested and this made me thing of mine and Lori's argument last night. _

_"That-that's what she always says. 'speak', 'speak'. You'd think I was the most closed mouth son of a bitch you'd ever hear her telling." I tell Shane and he just stayed silent for a moment. _

_"Do you express your thoughts? Do you share your feelings and that kind of stuff?" he questioned me as though we didn't do that. We did it just...was hard sometimes. Things weren't like before. Like when me and Lori were young._

_"The thing is, lately, whenever I try, everything I say makes her impatient like she didn't want to hear it after all. It's like she's pissed at me all the time, and I don't know why," I answer him truthfully, unsure myself to Lori's sudden change. _

_"Look man, that's just shit couples go through. You know, it's, it's a phase," Shane tells me trying to calm my nerves and doubts about my marriage. _

_"Last thing she said this morning? 'Sometimes I wonder if you even care about us at all.' She said that in front of Carl...our son. Imagine going to school with that in your head. Difference between men and women? I would never say something that cruel to her, and certainly not in front of the kids," I tell him and he just stayed silent. _

_The radio began to tell us information about a car chase. Asking for assistance and we began to buckle up. Sealing up the food and Shane threw it in the bin. Driving towards the route where the chasing was happening and turning on the siren._

_They informed us of the status as we tried to block the men who were being chased from going any further. Shane jumped out of the car as I put it to a sudden stop. Preparing the road for the car and allowing it to pop the tires. _

_Getting into formation, we all turned the safety off and stood our ground. Weapons in hand. Mine was a revolver, Shane had the shotgun and Leon had his pistol. _

_"Sounds like they're chasing those idiots up and down every back road we got," Lam said as we all got ready for what was about to happen. _

_"Maybe we'll get them on one of those video shows, you know, like 'World's Craziest Police Chases', what do you think?" Leon asked us as he got all nervous and excited of the possibility._

_"What I think, Leon...is that you need to stay focused. Make sure you got a round in the chamber and your safety off," I tell him and this was when he checked, noticing he didn't and corrects himself of his mistake. _

_"Would be kind of cool to get on one of them shows," Shane commented as we all waited for the men to come driving up to us. Everything after this point happened so fast. The cars were speeding towards us, zig zagging and hitting into each other._

_The car was being chased by two cop cars and as the car got closer, it's tires popped and the car came swirling and flipping towards us until it rolled off into the field. "Holy shit," Shane cussed as we watched the car now destroyed and the other cops get out of their cars. Ready to shoot. _

_Slowly we edged closer and saw a man open the door, pulling his gun up at us. One man screaming 'gun' and taking cover. "Put it down!" I demanded but he didn't listen. Instead a shoot out began. Bullets flying everywhere as one grazed my side. The vest I had caused it not to hit me, but made me fall to the ground._

_Rolling around I waited for the firing to stop, getting up I complained about how the guy shot me. Shane telling me he got worried and that I was lucky I had the vest. I went to warn him about not telling Lori when I lifted my arm and suddenly felt a stinging pain along with a gun shot._

_Falling to the ground again as I felt the bullet dig into my skin. Shane trying to stop the bleeding as I saw the blood stain my shirt. Shane ordering the others to call for an ambulance. Telling me to stay with him. Slowly losing consciousness..._

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><p><strong>Present day...<strong>

"Got that bandage changed out," the man asked me as I laid down on a bed, I was sweating from the dream I just had and my heart was pounding in my chest. "It was pretty rank," he told me and I just looked around to see I was tied to the bed. "What was...the wound?" he asked as he washed his hands. The boy stood by the door, baseball bat in hand.

"Gun shot," I answered him quickly without thinking. Knowing that it was the reason I was in the hospital in the first place.

"Gun shot? What else? Anything?" he asked me as he wiped his forehead with a cloth.

"Gun shot ain't enough?" I questioned him quizzically. This was silly. _Why am I tied to the bed? I'm not a threat to him or his little boy._

"Look, I ask and you answer, It's common courtesy, right?" he questioned me back, stating his point as he walked closer to me. "Did you get bit?" he asked me as he leaned down to look me directly in the eye.

"Bit?" I asked confused. _Why would I be bit? Who would want to bite me? What is going on?_

"Bit," he stated so that I knew what he was asking. "Chewed. Maybe scratch? Anything like that," he said as he shook his head a little.

"No, I got shot," I stated from the memory and as up to date as I could remember. "Just shot," I told him as he looked at me curiously. "As far as I know," I tell him as truthfully as I could. Unsure of what was all the fuss about.

The man began to place his hand closer to my face. To touch me. Pulling my face to one side he spoke softly. "Hey...just let me," he said as I let him press his hand against my forehead. Checking my temperature.

"Feels cooler now," he commented as he talked to his son. "Fever would have killed you by now," he tells me as I gulped. Remembering the dream I had. _Surely it should be a memory..._

"I don't think I have one," I tell him and he just looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"Be hard to miss," he tells me as though it was obvious. Wriggling, he slowly reached behind him and pulled out a pocket knife. "Take a moment, eh?" he said as he made me look at the knife which was inches away from my face. "Look how sharp it is," he tells me.

"You try anything I will kill you with it, and don't you think I won't," he threatened as he put it closer to my face, I looked at him from the corner of my eyes and he slowly moved off the bed. Cutting the rope and letting me loose from being tied to the bed. "Come on up when you're able," he tells me.

Trembling I rubbed at my sore wrists, my body shivering from the treat and possibility of being killed. "Come on," the man said as he walked up to the boy who stood by the door and tapped the boy's back. Eventually, when I finally gathered my thoughts, I grabbed a warm looking piece of cloth and saw I still wore what I had retrieved from the hospital around my neck.

"This place...it's Fred and Cindy Drake's," I told them as I walked to the dinning room and saw them prepare the food on the table. They had completely re-aranged the home, there were beds laid out where the living room used to be.

"Never met them," the man tells me with a bored and sad tone.

"I've been here," I tell him and remembered how this house was filled with life. With good and kind people. "This is their place," I state as I wandered around the room. Walking to what was once a blind as I tried to look out between what was now covered with thick cloth.

"It was empty when we got here," he tells me as I tried to lift the cloth to one side and look out the window. "Don't do that," he tells me before I could look out or open the curtain. "They'll see the light," he tells me as though it made sense to me.

"There's more of them out there than usual," he continued to speak as he went back to preparing the table. "I never should have fired that gun today," he said as I walked towards them. "The sound draws them, now they're all over the street," he tells me as I try to process what happened today.

"Stupid using a gun," he said as he fixed the table up. "It all happened so fast," he kept talking as he blew out a candle and the boy was already sat. Ready to eat. "I didn't think," he commented on himself.

"You shot that man today," I said as I remembered what happened earlier today. Surprised he did that right in front of me.

"Man?" the man questioned me slightly amused.

"Weren't no man," the boy spoke up to me.

"What the hell was that out of your mouth just now?" the man asked the boy, as though to scold him for what he just said.

"It wasn't a man," the boy said properly. Pronouncing his words correctly and this made the man nod at the boy.

"You shot him," I repeated as I tried to prove my statement. To uphold the law it was qualified as murder. "In this street. Out front. A man," I said as I kept my face serious. Murder was a serious issue and isn't right.

"For him...you need glasses. It was a walker," the man told me as though it was something I should already know. _I just woke up today and everything...has...changed._

"Come on," he tells me as he pointed to a chair opposite him. "Sit down, before you fall down," he told me as he put food on the plates. I pulled up the chair beside him and pulled the cloth that was on my shoulders a little tighter. "Here," he said as he looked at the food. "Eat," he commanded of me and I began to cut into the food.

"Daddy...blessing," the boy prompted, reminding the man of some traditions that some families followed. It wasn't the same for my family, we didn't really have time for prayers...or believed in them truthfully.

"Yeah," the man said as he gave a nod to the boy, holding his hands out to either side of him. One hand for me and one for the boy. The boy took his father's hand gratefully and I just sat there unsure what to do. Agreeing with them, I slowly held my hand in the mans and the young boys. Joining them in their prayer.

"Father, we thank thee for this food. Thy blessings...we ask you to watch over us in these crazy days," the man said as the man looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Amen," the man finished off.

"Amen," the boy replied and we all let go of each others hands. Beginning to eat the food in slight silence. The man still looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Hey mister, do you even know what is going on?" he questioned as I munched on the food quietly and thankfully. _I'm so hungry...I didn't realise until now..._

"I woke up today. In a hospital. Came home, that's all I know," I said as I stopped eating for a minute to answer him.

"But...you know about the dead people, right?" he questioned me and I just looked at him, looking away from my plate and into his eyes.

"Yeah, I saw a lot of that. Out on the loading dock, hauling trucks," I tell him and this made the man shake his head.

"No. Not the one's they put down... the one's they didn't," he said as he gave small nods. "The walkers," he tells me. "Like the one I shot today," he said after a few minutes of silence. "Cause he would have ripped into you," he tells me as though I should be thankful of him saving my life.

"Try to eat you, take him some flesh at least," he tells me and this just makes me confused. "But I guess if this is the first you're hearing, I know how it must sound," he tries to empathise but it just makes me wonder. _What kind of life is this? What happened to the world? Is this...real?_

"They're out there now...in the street?" I asked him curious and wondering if this was true.

"Yeah," he assured as I looked over my shoulder. "They're even more active after dark sometimes," he tells me and I just looked at the boy and the man. "Maybe it's the cool air or...hell. Maybe it's just me firing up that gun today," he tried to explain but this just gave me more questions to ask.

"But we'll be fine long as we stay quiet," he tried to reassure but this just made me want to see what was going on outside. To see these flesh eaters with my own eyes. "Probably wander off by morning," he tried to assure more his son and himself, rather than me.

"Well...listen. One thing I do know...don't you get bit! We saw your bandage and that's what we were afraid of," he tells me and I just look at him curiously. "Bites kill you," he informed me. Telling me that whatever there is out there...to be sure I don't get bit. "The fever burns you out," he explained further.

"But then after a while...you come back," he tells me. This made me so confused. I didn't know what to make of it. Staring into my plate aimlessly. Unable to eat with this feeling in my gut. _What is this hell?_

"Seen it happen," the boy said and this made me confused further. It also made me shocked and worried for the boy. Seeing something like that must have been scary.

"Come on," the man said as he comforted the boy, touching his shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. We then ate in silence, finishing our meal and cleaning up as best as we could. We all sat in the livingroom and the boy tried to get some rest by his father.

The two of us sat in our beds, mine closer to the windows and theirs closer to the exit. "Carl...He your son?" the man spoke to me and this made me turn my head to look at him. "He said his name today," the man said as I looked at him questioningly.

"He's a little younger than your boy," I told him. Remembering Carl's small, innocent face. His bright blue eyes, pale face and straight brown hair...it made me miss him. Miss Lori...miss Kat.

"And...he's with his mother?" the man questioned me and I just looked around. Wondering if they were even alive...either way...I only wanted to be with them. To get back to my family.

"I hope so," I tell him and that was when I felt my hand reach up to what was around my neck. Letting my finger graze against it. _My hero...My Daddy._ "I also have a...a daughter...she's older...19...her name's ah...Katherine...we call her Kat, for short," I tell him and he smiled at me sadly.

"Dad?" the boy called out to the man.

"Yeah?" the man asked as he gently rubbed the top of the boy's head.

"Did you ask him?" the boy asked the man as he sat up a little.

"Your gun shot...we got a little bet going," "My boy say you're a bank robber," he tells me and I just laugh quietly

"Yeah...that's me," I joked as I sat up a little more. "Deadly as Dillinger...kapow," I teased and laughed to myself. "Sheriff's deputy," I tell him and the man nods slowly with a small 'aha'.

There was a sudden alarm that went off. A car alarm. Someone must be trying to steal it. The boy sat up, his eyes wide and a worried look on his face because of the noise. "Hey, it's ok...daddy's here," Morgan said as he held his son to try and sooth him. "It's nothing," he tried to reassure. "One of them must've bumped a car," he said to both me and his son.

"You sure?" I questioned him. The boy looked still scared but tried to calm down from the sudden fright.

"Happened once before," Morgan told me and I just went to get up. "Went off a few minutes," he said reassuringly. "Get the light, Duane," he instructed his son and rose from the bed to look outside. Duane doing as he told as the room got slowly darker.

"It's the blue one, down the street," he said as we all peered between the planks of wood that blocked the windows. "Same one as last time," he informed us. "I think we're ok," he tried to reassure as we saw the streets filled with bodies, their feet scraping the ground as they walked aimlessly. Never tiring.

"That noise...will it bring more of them?" I ask them, trying to get enough information about these so called 'walkers' as I could.

"Nothing to do about it now," Morgan said as we all stood there, staring out the window. "Just have to wait 'em out till morning," he tells us as we then saw a woman turn to face us.

"She's here," Duane gasped as his body stiffened and a small whimper escaped his lips. The woman walker looked directly at us and began to move to the porch steps.

"Don't look," Morgan instructed his son. "Get away from the windows," he ordered as Duane stood there staring at the woman. "I said go! Come on! Come on, quiet," Morgan told his son and me, more his son as the boy ran to the bed, jumped onto it and began sobbing.

"Shh, shh. It's ok, here," Morgan said as he sat down with Duane, holding him as his son cried. "Cry into the pillow," Morgan said as he covered the boy's face with the pillow and held him. Walking towards the door, it was also blocked with boards and the peep hole was still there.

"Can you remember?" Morgan reminded the boy as he held him. My eyes looking out of the peephole to see the woman had reached the door, looking around and then directly at me. When she noticed me my breath hitched into my throat. My body shivering as she reached down and tried to open the door using the handle.

Stepping away, I slowly approached the bed and sat down. My eyes glued to the door and flickering to Morgan every so often. "Shh. She, uh...she died in the other room. On that bed. Nothin' I can do about it here...that fever, man...her skin gave off heat like a furnace. Should have put her down. I should have put her down. I know that, but...you know what?" he said as he looked at me then Duane.

"I just didn't have it in me. She's the mother of my child," he told me and we decided that we would wake up early. To go back to my home and go to the police station. That there were bound to be weapons and fresh, clean water for us. They agreed and we decided to sleep, I got some sleep but...I was mostly terrified of what was going on outside. The woman still trying to get in until she gave up and left us.

* * *

><p>Waking up, we quickly ate breakfast and grabbed any weapons that were lying around. Duane handed me a helmet for doing any woodwork and his baseball bat. Thanking him, I was then handed some new clothes and was bandaged up again. Morgan took another bandage with him in case anything happened to my wound.<p>

We had took down the planks that barricaded the door and decided to head down the porch. Taking the lead, Duane and Morgan slowly approached behind me. "You sure?" I asked him as I walked out the front porch. "They're dead...I have to ask, at least one more time," I asked as I tried to regain what was happening now in this fucked up world.

"They're dead," Morgan told me and this was when I began to walk down the steps. "Except for something in the brain...that's why it's gotta be the head," he tells me and this was when one sat by the fence started to get up. When he got up, I hit the baseball bat to his head repeatedly. Slowly losing breath as I gasped for it.

"You alright?" Morgan asked me concerned for my well being. My breath slowly coming back to me as I tried to relax and fight off the stinging pain in my side. On my knees as I gripped my side.

"Need a moment," I tell him and he just stood there waiting. Getting back on my feet, we headed toward my home and entered the opened door. No walkers had entered and it was clear of any inside. "They're alive...my wife and kids," I tell them as I threw the helmet to the ground and wandered into the dinning room.

"At least they were when they left," I say as I looked around and saw the evidence of them clearly. My eyes roaming the room and looking for any other clues.

"How can you know?" Morgan questioned my statement as he followed closely, Duane trailing behind and stopping by the door while Morgan entered the dinning room with me. "By the look of this place they..." he began as he tried to catch his breath, eyes looking around the room as he shook his head.

"I found empty drawers in the bedroom," I told him as I looked directly in his eyes. "They packed some clothes...not a lot, but enough to travel," I say as I glanced around the room and knew they took more than just their clothes.

"You know anybody could've broken in here and stolen clothes, right?" he asked me a little mockingly, as though I said the most stupid thing in the world and knew he wouldn't disagree with me when I said what was in my head.

"You see the framed photos on the walls?" I asked Morgan as I pointed at the empty pegs that once held photos. "Neither do I," I said before he could answer and he looked around too. "Some random thief took those too, you think?" I questioned him and he just looked at me. "Our photo albums, family pictures...all gone," I said as I checked in the cabinet that once held our albums. Non were in there...all gone.

"Photo albums," Morgan repeated with a huge smile on his face, pacing on the spot as he laughed to himself. "My wife...same thing," he said as he took a seat. "Here I am, packing survival gear, she's grabbing photo albums..." he spoke happily and fondly at the beginning but it soon got sad and quiet.

"They're in Atlanta, I'll bet," Duane spoke up as he took a few steps towards us and away from the door.

"That's right," Morgan agreed. Looking over his shoulder briefly at his son before looking back at me.

"Why there?" I asked him, confused as to why they would hed to Atlanta in the first place.

"Refugee settle" he explained. "Huge, when they said it, before the broadcast stopped," he told me, he seemed saddened that the broadcasting had stopped. "Military protection, food, shelter..they told people to go there," he said a little breathless. "Said to be safest," he explained and I just looked away, nodding and gulping a little at the thought of my family being safe.

"Plus they got that disease place," Duane said as I looked at him, surprised the boy knew so much and that they were still here.

"Center for Disease Control," Morgan clarified, just so I knew exactly what to look for and where to look for answers. "Said they were working on how to solve this thing," he tells me and I just felt a sudden happiness...if my family were safe...if there was a cure...we would all be able to live and go back to our normal lives.

Grabbing the keys to the police station and armory, I grabbed a bag to put fresh, clean clothes in. I walked out and led the way for them as we headed to the station. Duane and Morgan following closely as we took down a few walkers quietly.

We walked around the station, took down a few walkers and sealed the doors and windows shut. When we entered a dark room, Morgan handed me a torch-light and we slowly approached the showers.

"Gas and light have been down for maybe a month," Morgan said as we got to the shower room, turning on the tap and both of them stared up at the water.

"Station got its own propane system," I informed the two and they watched the water amazed. "Pilot's still on," I told them as I checked the temperature. _Warming up and still works..._

"Oh, my Lord," yelled Morgan as he washed himself. "Hot water!" Duane said as he jumped around. A few 'wohoo!'s being exchanged between father and son as we all got cleaned up.

"That feels good, right?" Morgan asked Duane, the pair thoroughly enjoying their shower noisily as I washed up quietly. Chuckling to myself at the two who were pleased by the hot water. Shaving off the months that I've been in a coma.

We were sat on the benches, getting dried and I saw as Duane cleaned himself up. "Duane...dressing room's back there," I told him as I handed him some new clothes to put on. Ones that Carl used to wear..._God I miss my family._

"What you say, Duane?" Morgan called out to his son as Duane began to walk away from me. Taking the clothes from my hands without a single shred of gratitude.

"Thank you," Duane said as he turned to look at me. Morgan replying with a small 'mhm,' and we both watched as Duane walked off to get changed.

"Atlanta sounds like a good deal...safer anyway," I said to Morgan, to try and convince him to join me subtly. That way he wouldn't be alone and we could all find shelter. Together. "People..." I drifted and he just started getting changed.

"That's where we were heading," he said as he slipped his shirt around his arms. "Things got crazy," he told me "Man, you wouldn't believe," he said as he shook his head. "The panic...streets weren't fit to be on, and then...well...my wife couldn't travel," he said, his eyes slightly distant as he spoke of his wife and his suffering.

"No, not with our herd, so we had to find a place to lay low," he spoke and shook his head, his gaze moving frantically from to his feet to up towards the door. The same door Duane walked out of.

"And then, after she died...we just stayed hunkered down," he said regrettable, you could tell when a man regretted something and he truly did regret it. "I guess we just froze in place," he tried to explain their actions, unsure what exactly got them to this point in their apocalyptic life.

"Plan to move on?" I asked him. He gave me a small smile and a quick reply of 'haven't worked up to it yet' which made me nod slowly at his choice of words. It was his decision. He could say yes or no. I can't force him to come with me. We got changed silently, I slipped into my officer uniform and put on my hat.

When we were all ready to go, I led them towards the armory room. "A lot of it's gone missing," I say as I inspected the weapons. Picking up a shotgun and doing what had to be done.

"Dad, can I learn to shoot? I'm old enough," Duane asked Morgan confidently, moving closer to the guns as his dad got some things ready himself.

"Hell yes you're going to learn. We gotta do it carefully, teach you to respect the weapon," Morgan instructed his son, making sure his son always grew to be a good and proper man.

"That's right. It's not a toy. You pull the trigger, you have to mean it. Always remember that, Duane," I teach Duane the basics on gun training, telling him on how it is to handle weapons such as the gun.

"Yes, sir," Duane agreed as I touched his shoulder lightly, keeping it personal and educational.

"Here," Morgan spoke to Duane, preparing a bag of guns and walking towards me. "Go on," Morgan said as he patted his son towards the bag of guns.

"Take that one. Nothing fancy. Scope's accurate," I informed Morgan as I gave him a sniper rifle. Fully loaded. We then continued to pack silently and headed outside to a group of cars and trucks. "Conserve your ammo. Goes faster than you think. Especially at target practice," I told them as we walked outside, carrying bags full of guns.

"Duane," Morgan called out to Duane which earned him a 'yeah?' from Duane. "Take this to the car," Morgan instructed as he handed the boy the bag of guns and ammo.

"You sure you won't come along?" I asked them, trying to see if there was any convincing and if he would willingly go now that I've asked him more obviously.

"A few more days...by the end, Duane will know how to shoot and I won't be so rusty," explained Morgan as he rubbed at his head and face nervously. Opening the door of my cop car, I pulled out a walkie-talkie and handed it to Morgan.

"You got one battery. I'll turn mine on, a few minutes every day at dawn. You get up there, that's how you find me," I instructed him and informed him of what I would do to keep in contact with him. He patted my shoulder and walked towards his car.

"You think they're here?" he asked me unsure but hopeful.

"Can't afford not to," I spoke out and followed them closely. "Not anymore," I say this mostly to myself and kept my own hopes up. _They're strong. All three of them in their own way...I know it. They have to survive._

"Look, just one thing..." Morgan began as we saw Duane shoot the boot and walk towards us. "They may not seem like much one at a time but in a group all riled up and hungry. Man, you watch your ass," he informed and instructed me. Trying to encourage me to never doubt these so-called 'walkers'. To always stay alert and ready for the worst.

"You too," I answered politely and honestly. They were a good pair. They need to look out for each other and survive.

"You a good man, Rick," Morgan said as he shook my hand and looked me directly in the eye. "I hope you find your wife and kids," he tells me kindly with a small, warm smile on his face.

"Be seeing you Duane," I called out to the boy. "Take care of your old man," I told him and he just gave me a small nod.

"Yes, sir," a small grin forming on his face as he looked up at me. We all began to walk towards the cars when we heard sounds of footsteps and gurgling.

"Leon Basset? Didn't think much of him. Careless and dumb, but can't leave him like this," I speak of the man who I had worked with. He was young and still wearing his cop outfit when he died...

"You know, if they'll hear the shot," Morgan questioned as he clutched his son tightly to his side. He had pulled out a gun but soon put it away when he realised the walker wasn't going to be a threat.

"Let's not be here when they show up," I suggest as I walked to the man who had been there when I got shot. The one I had known for a while and worked with. A man I couldn't let wander around aimlessly. _He has done his duty...time to end it._

"Let's go, son," Morgan told Duane as they both started walking. "Come on," Morgan said as they began running towards the car. Looking into Leon's eyes, I watched as he shook the fence and quickly pulled out my gun, aiming it and shooting him. With a single hit, he slowly let go of his grip and fell to the ground. _Dead..._

We got into our cars and drove off. Honking our horns and beeping our beeps. The drive was silent, my mind wandering in its own accord as I remembered my family. When I last saw them. What we last said. I missed them...so much.

I decided it wasn't good to leave those that I knew and cared about dead. Especially ones like my neighbor, who I knew and could roughly point out where she could be. Driving I stopped at the point I had last seen my neighbour and saw she was no longer there.

Walking to where she had dragged her body, I slowly reached her and saw as she looked up at me. Crouching I watched her helpless body and pulled out my gun. "I'm sorry this happened to you," I spoke sadly and shot her. Her dead body falling down to the ground and didn't move.

I reached back to the car and began my way towards Atlanta. Going down roads and watching as thunder had clashed and lit up the sky. "Broadcasting on emergency channel," I called into the radio, hopeful that someone would answer me. "Will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. Anybody reads, please respond," I asked.

"Hello," I called into the radio. "Hello?" I called out again. Nothing. "Can anybody hear my voice? Anybody out there? Anybody hears me, please respond," I kept repeating, doubt running through my mind but I tried to keep hopeful.

"Hello, can you hear my voice? Hello? Hello?" I called in again, but there was still no response. _I need to keep trying. For Carl...for Lori...for Kat._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_"Hello, can you hear my voice? Hello? Hello?" _we could hear through the crackling of the sound. The radio buzzing and the voice of someone playing through it. This made us all look at it and rush towards it.

Picking it up, I looked around and my blue eyes caught the hazel ones of my mother. Both her and Carl staring at me as I prepared myself to speak into the radio. _"Can anybody hear my voice?" _the man's voice asked again.

"Hey?" I called into it as I pressed onto the button Shane taught me to press. "Hello?" I spoke clearly into the radio, Dale stood next to me and watched as I tried to communicate.

"Can you hear my voice?" the mans voice called out again. As though I hadn't responded at all. _His...his voice...it's...so...familiar. Why?_

"Yes," I state into the microphone "I can hear you. You're coming through. Over," I called to the other person but he didn't seem to hear me. Didn't seem to respond to my reply.

_"Anybody who reads, please respond. Broadcasting on emergency channel. We'll be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. If anybody reads, please respond," _he kept speaking, as though I had never replied and as if I was invisible.

"We're just outside the city" I called into the CB but no one answered. "Damnit!" I cursed as I heard the thing crackle, nothing other than that was happening. "Hello?" I called into it, holding down the button and hoping it worked. "Hello?" I called again, unsure if the thing was even working correctly.

"He couldn't hear me. I couldn't warn him," I tell Dale who stood by me. Mom and Carl were stood there watching me as I struggled to talk to the man on the other end of the line.

"Try to raise him again," Dale tried to tell me, but I didn't know how to and knew I wouldn't be able to. "Come on, son. You know best how to work this thing," Dale called out to Shane who was making his way towards me.

"Hello? Hello, is the person who calls still on the air? This is officer Shane Walsh, broadcasting a person unknown, please respond..." Shane said as he gently took the thing from me and got onto one knee to talk into it. "He's gone," he said after a few minutes of no answer. The man hadn't spoken and it was dead. The man who we had spoken to had left.

"There are others," Mom stated as she came up behind me and placed her hand on my shoulder gently. "It's not just us." she said hopeful, her hand giving my shoulder a slight squeeze and my heart dropped slightly. _This person could be dead now...because of me._

"Yeah. We knew there would be, right, that's why we let the CB on," Shane said a little mockingly, this made me frown at him and get up to stand beside my mom and brother.

"Lot of good it's been doing," mom said a little disappointed, her eyes drifting to the CB and then back at Shane. "And I've been saying for a week, we ought to put signs up on 85 to warn people away from the city," mom said and I just nod.

"Folks got no idea what they're getting into," I said a little blankly. Both me and mom have discussed this and it was true. _Atlanta isn't safe._

"We don't have enough time," Shane said as he got to his feet and looked directly at me and mom.

"I think we need to make time," mom suggested a little threatening. We all needed to do at least something so people didn't walk into the trap which was Atlanta.

"Yeah, that, uh That's a luxury we can't afford," Shane told us sadly, as though to tell us it wasn't going to be possible. Rubbing at his face and head.

"We are surviving here," Shane spoke as he got closer to us and shook his head. "We are day-to-day," Shane argued back and this made me shake my head

"And who the hell would you propose to send?" I questioned him and mom just grabs my hand and kisses the back of it kindly. To calm me down. She always did this, ever since I was a little girl. To either prevent arguments or to calm me down from something like this.

"I'll go. Give me a vehicle," mom spoke up, I just looked at her and shook my head vigorously at her. _Mom...not you. Please..._

"Nobody goes anywhere alone, you know that," Shane told her, reminding her of our rules to survive. Mom just glared at him for a minute before walking off towards the camp.

"Yes, sir," she said as her hand slipped out of mine and left me there. Carl began to trail behind her but I quickly pulled him to my side. Shane following my mom too.

"Hey, hey, hey, come on, take a seat, buddy. You're alright, go ahead, you're alright," Shane mumbled as I held tightly onto Carl, walking us towards his work again and sitting down. I rubbed his back gently as we saw Shane enter the tent with mom.

We sat there silently for a few minutes, Carl doing his work as I watched the CB, my eyes glued to it and my mind running away with my thoughts. "What do you think about mom going to do that sign to warn others about Atlanta?" his small voice asked me and made me look at him. Our blue eyes connecting.

I saw fear behind his eyes. "I say...she isn't going anywhere. I wouldn't let her and she wouldn't do that...least not to us," I tell him and he smiled at me a little sadly. His gaze drifted towards the tent, suddenly he got up and began to run towards the tent. Chasing after him, I called out for him. "Carl!" I shouted out for him and he kept heading towards the tent.

"Mom?" Carl called out for mom as she moved towards the tent door, seeing Shane exit first and rub Carl's head. Smiling at me slightly as he rubbed at his lips and face.

"What's up, buddy? She's in there, go on," Shane told him as he walked past us. Leaving me, mom and Carl alone. Carl slowed down when he saw mom crouch down to his level and smiled kindly at him.

"Hey. I don't want you to worry. Your mom is not going anywhere. Okay? Yeah, yeah" she said as she looked at Carl, her eyes flashing at me and then back at Carl. Nodding at him, a small smile on my lips as our eyes met, she smiled back and looked to Carl with kind eyes. "Go finish your chores with Kat," she tells him as she patted his sides gently.

"Okay," he said with a nod, smiling happily at her and she slowly got back to standing. Carl walking towards me, my hand held out for him but he just goes to hug me and makes me smile. Wrapping my arms around him as I held him to me. "You were right," he told me which made me giggle.

Looking at mom who looked at me with pride in her eyes, smiling I pulled him away from me slightly and looked down at him. Our eyes meeting as I gently caressed his head and placed my index finger under his chin. "I told you she wasn't going anywhere," I said kindly and let him hug me for a few more seconds.

Taking his hand we walked back to the others and got back to doing his homework. Helping him and teaching him some things as I would teach him then assist him after marking some of his work...

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

Driving towards Atlanta, I stopped a few minutes away from a nearby gas station, there were cars flipped and destroyed laying around on the streets. Getting out, I opened the boot and decided to go fetch some gas as I was running low. Pulling out a few things that would help me get this gas.

Continuing on my walk, I came across torn apart cars and a field that made my side hurt a little from the shot wound. Tents were left opened out weirdly, multiple toys and childs play were laying around on the grass. Dead bodies covered in flies and rotting in their cars. _This is a grave yard._

When I finally reached the gas station, there was a sign dangling that read 'NO GAS' and it made me want to curse but, I knew that if some of these bodies were still alive...they would get me and pull me to shreds. I was going to turn around to search any of the cars for gas to steal but that was when I heard rustling of feet.

Getting to the ground, I looked under any cars for any feet that could be moving. When I saw small feet in big bunny slippers, a long coat and picking up a teddy bear...I knew it was a little girl. _It has to be a little girl...how did she survive all this time?_

The little girl looked like she hadn't washed in a while and wasn't being taken care of properly. All skin and bones. Fragile. Walking closely, I got back up into a standing position and walked towards her slowly. Following her carefully.

"Little girl...I'm a policeman...little girl?" I called out to the girl, stalking her as quietly as possible and keeping my voice low enough for her to hear. The girl had long blonde hair, her skin pale and her whole body froze at the sound of my voice. Stopping in her tracks.

"Don't be afraid," I encouraged her as I slowly walked closer, my arm that was raised was now by my side. "Okay?" I tried to get a response from her as I took more steps towards her. Stopping at a close enough and appropriate distance, I held my hand out in small kindness and slight surrender. _I'm not a threat..._

Turning around the girl's face was...a face of sheer horror. Her mouth was dribbling, cut up and teeth rotting. Her eyes lifeless, her shirt bloody and her whole body scratched up. Her eyes on me as she limped towards me, her feet scraping along the ground as she hurried to me.

My breathing was un even as I felt the fear run through every inch of my body. _Such an innocent thing...turned into a monster._ As I grabbed my gun, I began to walk backwards, away from her as her speed increased. Gurgling, growling and running towards me.

Standing my ground, I pulled my gun up and aimed for her head. My jaw hardening as I tried not to think of her as the little girl she was. My finger on the trigger tighter as I soon heard a gun shot, splatter and the girl's body crash into the ground. Lifeless.

Lowering my gun, I took a few deep breaths and decided to try and find any gas as soon as possible. Realising I had just shot the gun, there would be more coming if they heard it and I didn't want to get into a huge group of them. I knew I wouldn't survive so I ran towards the car and drove. Knowing there was enough gas to go far but not enough to Atlanta.

Stopping again I pulled up by a house, staring at a family photo of ours that I had kept for when I felt lonely at work. Lori as beautiful as she had always been, a soft glow on her skin, a bright smile, her long brown hair wavy and her hazel eyes enchanting.

Carl, his pale skin, boyish grin and short brown hair made me chuckle. His bright blue eyes looking right into my soul as I looked at his innocent face. My gaze finally landed on...

Kat...so beautiful, so radiant and...mature. She was growing up to look like her mother in some ways and like me in others. Her brown curly hair, slightly tanned skin and bright blue eyes haunting. Her bright smile was sweet and made me miss them. Wanting nothing more than to be with them again.

Stepping out, I grabbed my gas equipment and headed towards the house, walking towards the stairs and calling out to them. "Hello? Police officer out here. Can I borrow some gas? Hello?" I called out to them, alerting them I am here to help for gas in return.

"Hello? Anybody home?" I called out to anyone, knocking on the door, looking around the house through the windows, that was when I saw an open window and a foul smell invade my nose. A man who had shot himself in the mouth, blood on the walls saying 'GOD FORGIVE US' and a woman beside him on the ground killed too. Flies surrounding their corpses.

Looking inside a truck for keys was unlucky. Just as I was about to head inside the house in search for keys, I heard a familiar sound of an animal and looked to find a horse. "Easy now, easy. I'm not gonna hurt you," I said as I walked up to the beautiful brown horse. A rope in my hand as I slowly stepped closer towards it.

"Nothing like that...more like a proposal," I said softly as I spoke to the horse, he was a little un easy but soon calmed down when I got close enough to show him I wasn't a threat. "Atlanta's just down the road ways. It's safe there. Food, shelter, people, other horses too, I bet. How's that sound?" I suggested to it.

"There we go. Good boy. Good boy. Now come with me," I said as I gently pulled the rope to catch him around his neck, walking us out of his pen and towards the house. "Come with me. Let's go easy, ok?" I told him as I finally got onto the horse and held onto the reins.

"I haven't done this for years," I tell him as we slowly trotted towards the road. "Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Easy. Easy, boy." I tell him as he began to run away from the house and towards the fields.

"Easy, easy, easy," I tried to relax him but it didn't seem to work. My entire body bouncing, my back weighing me down a little with the guns. Gradually we got to Atlanta, seeing how it was all deserted. "Steady. It's just a few. Nothing we can't outrun," I tell him as I lead us towards a road, a few walkers climbing out of a bus.

A few walking around the streets. "Okay, whoa whoa whoa," I said as I directed the horse to go to certain places and walked down roads. We were passing a tank when I saw a few birds peck at a dead man on the tank, he was wearing an army uniform. Suddenly I heard a helicopter fly above us and I rushed us into a run and watched as we whizzed through streets.

My adrenaline rose higher, not for joy but fear...as we stopped in front of a huge herd of walkers. All crowded on the street and they suddenly saw us, reaching towards us as they pushed and shoved towards us.

Turning to go the other way, I stared wide eyed, realising we were trapped. "Shit," I cursed under my breath as I turned us again and hoped for a way out. There was no use, they were trying to grab either me or the horse, trying to move we couldn't. The horse reared as it squealed in pain and fell to the ground.

Kicking me off, causing me to drop my bags and my hat to the ground. Rushing to try and get up, I watched as they tore apart the horse, sharing the guts and skin of the animal. Their dirty and bloody hands stuffing their faces as some saw me.

Rushing towards me one tried to get to me, kicking him away I got up onto my feet and ran towards the tank. Crawling under it, one tried to grab at my shoe, so I kicked it in the face and crawled faster. Others tried to crawl under, to grab at me and pull me apart like my dying horse. Pulling out my gun, I began to shoot some in the head that got too close to me.

I then felt the sensation settle in. _I'm trapped...I'm dead...I'm running out of ammo...what am I going to do now? What can I do? Is anyone going to save me? Is this real life? Is this what my life has come to?_

"Lori, Carl, Kat, I'm sorry," I said as I looked up and pointed the gun to my head, noticing a hole, I quickly climbed in and shut the door quickly. Gasping for air as I shut and lock the door, I leaned back and tried to get my heart beat to slow down. Enough so that I could think and clear my ear drums of the constant thumping.

When I finally thought I was safe...I couldn't have been any more wrong. I went to pull out a gun from a dead army man's holster and saw him come to life. Pulling up my gun, I gasped and shot him from below his chin. His brains splattering along the walls as my ears rang loudly.

The gun shot made my ears feel like they were bleeding, gasping for air and for the sound to leave my mind. When it did, I then heard climbing going off above my head, the tank was still opened from up top. Climbing up, I shut it and sealed it so I was safe and stuck inside. I didn't know what to do. _I'm trapped..._

Just when I thought all hope was lost, I heard the sound of a CB crackling. Then the voice of a man as he said: _"Hey, you. Dumb ass. Hey...you in the tank. Cozy in there?"_ and this was when I just sat there and stared at where the sound had come from.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked this chapter. Please can I have 5 reviews if you would like more! I would appreciate it! Yes...I've also had to change the name of title and the daughter. I saw that one story was too similar to my own...so...I want this to be 100% original. <strong>

**Much love...**

**HeroJustInTime90 xx**


	2. Chapter 2: My hero

**Chapter 2: My hero...**

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

_~14 years ago~_

_"What type of present is it?" I asked her, my eyes shining as I watched her sweet face. Her cheeks slightly blushing as she slowly opened the box to look at what was inside. Her bright blues looking down at what was hidden in the box._

_"It's for you..." she said as her long lashes fluttered before her gaze met mine. Her toothy smile cute and sweet. She shut the box momentarily as she looked at me shyly. "You're going to be starting a dangerous job today and...I thought...this would keep you safe," she said gently. _

_She turned the box to me, opening it and a small smile played on the corner of my lips as I looked down at what was in the box. It was...I necklace, a cute cut out circle, gold and engraved on the front was 'Love, KG' and this made me chuckle._

_"What's this?" I asked her as she pouted her soft pink lips at me and caused me to laugh softly. She instructed me to take it out with a gentle 'Daddy' at the end. Pulling out the circle, I soon saw it was a necklace, a long gold chain keeping the tag in place. My fingers lightly grazed it both front and back, which made my brows knit together._

_Turning it over I read the words _'My hero...My Daddy' _smirking I looked up at the little girl who was now blushing up at me. Her soft curls making her look cuter, her big blue eyes pleased at my smile and her own smile forming on her lips. _

_"You like it?" she asked me, her voice raising a little in question and excitement. Chuckling, I looked down at the necklace and nod. The smirk now turned into a smile, one of pride and happiness. _

_"I love it," I tell her and pull her to my lap, forgetting my cereal and newspaper. Lori was making Kat's breakfast but we were sitting together, her arms wrapped around my shoulders and pulling my into a hug. My arms enveloping her as I rubbed her back, my eyes shut tightly as I breathed in her soft, floral scent. _

_"But...why did you put 'My hero'?" I asked her gently and she giggled, pulling away and looking at me surprised. This made me smile at her, everything she did and said...always made me love her more each and every day._

_"Is it not that obvious? You're a police officer and...you're always going to be my hero, with or without being an officer...because...you're my Daddy and you'll always do what's right...and you'll protect me no matter what," she tells me and I chuckle._

_"Ain't that right," I tell her, myself and Lori which made her smile. My heart warmed at her words and her giggle to my response. Laughing softly, I rubbed my nose against her, sighing in bliss and began to tickle her sides gently._

_Her giggles and squirming made me chuckle at her, her soft curls shaking with every wriggle and each giggle was emphasised with each tickle I gave her. "Thanks for the present baby girl, I'll treasure it forever," I tell her and she begged me to stop and let her go._

_Stopping, I held her in my arms tightly as she fought me to get out of my arms. Sighing grumpily and begging me to let her go. I laugh and shake my head, pouting my lips at her and she placed her finger to my lips. "No Daddy!" she giggle yelled, teasingly. _

_Laughing I squeezed her a little in my arms, Lori placed both her breakfast and Kat's at either side of the table. Beside me and at opposite sides, both Lori and Kat to be facing each other. Smiling at Kat's playful face made me chuckle and shake my head. Being stubborn I shook my head "You know what I want...no leaving until I get it," I tell her and she giggled._

_Sighing she leaned over, kissing my already pouted lips and making me smile. I gently slip her to be on the ground, placing the necklace on the table beside my bowl of cereal. Kat walking towards a smiling Lori who was shaking her head. _

_"Go get ready for kindergarten, then come down to say goodbye to Daddy and have your breakfast," Lori said as she kissed the top of Kat's head and watched her run upstairs. I had picked up the necklace, glancing at the running girl and the mother of my child. Smiling as Lori came up behind me and placed her hands on top of mine._

_She took the necklace off me and slipped her hands behind my neck, hooking the pieces together until the necklace dangled against my neck and pressed to my skin. Smiling I ran my fingertips along the engravings. With a kiss to the lips, Lori went upstairs to help our daughter as I sat there and tought of the wonderful women in my life..._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV (Present day...)<strong>

The birds were chirping, Carl was running around and finally came back to us. Cleaning things and preparing food for later. Amy was making her way towards us with her red bucket. "Mom!" Carl called out and this made me giggle.

"Right here," Mom told Carl as we sat together on the empty glass crates, Carl was playing with his small cars and was by a car. Not in our sight but his noises of cars was enough indication he was around us. "Any luck?" Mom asked Amy as she walked closer and handed the bucket to her.

"How do we tell if they're poison?" Amy asked us, she would normally go hunting for herbs but her favourite was mushrooms. I always knew the herbs and other things, as I had read it in a book we had last raided a store.

"Uh, there's only one sure way I know of," Mom told her, my mind drifting off to the others. Daryl hadn't been back from his hunt for at least a day. The others were still in Atlanta. It included Glenn, Andrea who is Amy's sister, Morales, Jacqui, T-Dog and Merle.

"Ask Shane when he gets back?" Amy asked her and Mom gave her a nod as she got up and began to clean the bucket. Walking off to the distance.

"Yeah, you've got it," she gave a nod and turned to look at both me and Carl, then looked up at Dale, who was stood atop the RV and on the look out for any geeks.

"Thank you," Amy said kindly as she sat beside me and did the same as me. Checking for things to do and making sure everything was prepared for tonight's dinner.

"Dale, I'm heading out," Mom said up to Dale. Looking at both me and Carl as she spoke the next part. "Sweethearts, I want you to stay where Dale can see you both, okay? Don't stray too far from each other. Stay close got it?" she gave us a nod, making me nod back and smile kindly at her.

"Yes, mom," we said in unison. Smiling at myself at how similar we were. Mom smiled at the two of us before turning her back on us. She stopped in her tracks when Dale called out to her.

"You too," he called out to her which made her stop. "Don't wander too far. Stay within shouting distance...and if you see anything, holler. I'll come running," he instructed kindly but sternly.

"Yes, mom," mom mimicked us and this made me giggle softly. Shaking my head as I watched her walk away. Sitting close to the fire, I decided to get up and walk to sit beside Carl on the dirt. Smiling I looked at him and patted his shoulder.

"How about you and me go into the RV and read a book together?" I asked him. He smiled back at me and gave me a nod, getting up and walking towards the RV as I told Dale we were going to look at books to read. Dale agreed but said we were to get out and read together in his sight.

Sighing we got in and decided on a book, I was surprised that Dale actually had a copy of John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men,' which was one of my favourite books to read in college. Doing literature, we had to learn history too and this was a very creative and good novel.

Pulling it out, I sat with Carl on the floor, our backs pressed against the car as I let Carl read to me. Smiling, correcting him as he pronounced a word wrong and answering any questions he had. "Why are we reading a boring book about two guys?" he asked me and I shake my head.

Smiling I shake my head at him, sighing as I remembered the book and what life meanings it had. "This book...is a form of history. It's art at it's finest. What it teaches us is...that...no matter the skin colour, the loss of hope...that...the world...it may feel like shit sometimes but...as long as you have a reason to keep living...there is always hope," I tell him.

This makes Carl look at me with those blue eyes of his, reminding me so much of dad and mom mixed together, that I smiled at him. He smiled at me and gave me a nod. "It sounds good," he tells me and this made me smile back at him.

"It does...plus...it's my favourite book, ask mom," I giggled, shoving his shoulder as we both laughed gently. Carl opened the book again and continued to read, we were almost at the scene where we would meet Curley.

We were reading as mom walked over to us. Her hair a slight mess, her eyes slightly watery and her skin a little sticky with sweat. There was a certain smell coming off of her, which made my nose want to wriggle but I didn't. I knew she would know that I knew what she was doing.

"Reading Kat's favourite book?" she asked us as we nodded. Carl smiled up at me and this made me giggle. Getting up, I ruffled his hair and told him to put his book mark in the page we were on. That we would read tomorrow and that he should go do his homework now. Mom smiled, asked me to help her with the mushrooms and work with Shane on them. That she was going to assist Carl with homework. Nodding, I did as she said and parted ways to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

The radio was beeping and hissing while walkers were banging and snarling above and below my head. "Hey, are you alive in there?" the voice asked as I ran towards the CB. Thudding my head accidentally against a pipe and grunting in pain.

Picking up the talkie I answered into it. "Hello? Hello?" I called back, hopeful that they hadn't left me yet, that they would somehow help me out of this mess.

"There you are, you had me wondering," the male voice answered. I was looking around, sweat dripping from my nose and skin as I felt the adrenaline rush through my veins.

"Where are you? Outside? Can you see me right now?" I asked him, there were so many questions I needed answering but...I didn't know how much time I had before something happened.

"Yeah, I can see you. You're surrounded by walkers. That's the bad news," he spoke, the buzzing noise was the thing that kept me going. The way the boy spoke made me wonder.

"There's good news?" I asked curious to know if there was anything good from this situation I was stuck in. Hopeful this guy would help me out of this mess.

"No," the male answered bluntly, this made my heart pump just as fast, the sweat dripping from the amount of stress I was under.

"Listen, whoever you are, I don't mind telling you I'm a little concerned in here," I tell him as my mind got mushed with questions, wanting a way out of this hell and a chance to find my family.

"Oh man. You should see it from over here. You'd be having a major freak-out," he said as his voice quivered from the fear and actual shock of what was going on around the tank.

"Got any advice for me?" I asked him. _This isn't making anything easier for me...it isn't helping either._

"Yeah, I'd say make a run for it," he told me and I deliberated, wondering if this was a good idea or not.

"That's it? 'Make a run for it'?" I question his initiative_. I don't know if this is a good idea...I could get killed with a single mess up and...I would need to trust this guy if I want to survive._

"My way's not as dumb as it sounds. You've got eyes on the outside here. There's one geek still up on the tank but the others have climbed down and joined the feeding frenzy where the horse went down. With me so far?" he suggested with his plan, making me consider it.

"So far," I replied shortly, just wanting a way out and a little help from this willing guy.

"Okay, the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded.  
>If you move now while they're distracted, you stand a chance. Got ammo?" he said but I remembered the bag I had dropped. <em>It has a walkie-talkie...a good set of rounds and a lot of guns...I need that back...and my hat.<em>

"In that duffel bag I dropped out there, and guns. Can I get to it?" I ask him but he quickly replies before I could even have a chance to think.

"Forget the bag, okay? It's not an option. What do you have on you?" he asked me quick as gunfire, my hesitation was momentarily as I took a second to register what he was asking.

"Hang on," I told him as I grabbed the gun that was on the army man. Taking it, I checked the amount of clips and rounds I had. Checking the guy's pockets, I found a grenade and placed it in my pocket. "Yeah. Yeah," I spoke to myself as I nod in agreement, pleased with the amount I have. "I've got a Beretta with one clip, 15 rounds," I tell him as the sweat ran down my skin and off to hit the ground.

"Make 'em count. Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going in that direction. There's an alley up the street, maybe 50 yards. Be there," he tells me as though he was about to stop talking to me, I needed to be reassured that everything was fine, that we all were still fully humane.

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked him without thinking, wanting to be thankful to the person who helped me in this desperate moment.

"Have you been listening? You're running out of time," he barked as I nod and gathered my thoughts, grabbing the gun and a shovel, I got ready, my breathing heavy as I reassure myself with a 'right' and opened the lid. Seeing a single walker, I slapped him hard with the shovel, climbed off the direction the guy said and ran towards the alley he spoke of.

As the single walker fell, I threw the shovel to the ground and ran as well as I could. Shooting walkers that got too close or that were in my way, the shovel long gone and my heart pounding within my chest. The blood running through my veins as I then saw a guy pop out from a gate.

"Whoa! Not dead!" the guy said, a ball cap on and his hands raised in surrender. "Come on! Come on! Back here! Come on! Come on!" the guy from the tank spoke out as I followed him and he climbed up a ladder that was heading for the roof.

"What are you doing?! Come on!" he shouted down at me as I shot some walkers that were following us. When my final bullet was out, I looked at the gun and began to panic. Looking up, I began to climb up and rushed to get to where the boy was.

"Come on, get up," he shouted as I fumbled up the ladder, a walker grabbed my foot but I shook him off and kept climbing. When we both got to the mid section we both panted and watched as others tried to climb. Clawing up at us desperately.

"Nice moves there, Clint Eastwood. You the new sheriff come riding in to clean up the town?" he teased me a little mad and exhausted. He was of Asian decent, young and kind of scrawny.

"It wasn't my intention," I tell him honestly. Both of us panting for breath as we watched the walkers below us.

"Yeah, whatever. Yeehaw. You're still a dumbass," he insulted but I knew arguing about anything would make me even more stupid.

"Rick. Thanks," I told him my name as I held my hand for him to shake. Thankful for him saving my life, that it was something he didn't have to do but he put his own life on the line to save mine.

"Glenn. You're welcome," he tells me and we shook hands, both of us preparing for the next set of ladders. Grabbing my gun, I shoved it into his backpack and watched the walkers growl, snarl and claw up at us.

"Oh no," he spoke as he saw a few attempt to climb the ladder. "The bright side: It'll be the fall that kills us," he tells me as we looked up at the ladder, making me want to gulp at how high up we would be. "I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy," he tells me and I didn't have to hold in any laughter as I watched him start to climb.

"Are you the one that barricaded the alley?" I asked him when we were finally on the roof tops and making our way to...wherever we were going. Glenn clearly knew the way and would assist me as we were reaching our destination.

"Somebody did I guess when the city got overrun. Whoever did it was thinking not many geeks would get through," Glenn said as we jumped over a wall and sneaked past more walkers that were beneath us.

"Back at the tank, why'd you stick your neck out for me?" I asked him as we reached a rooftop passage into a building, he slid his backpack off as I held the door opened for him.

"Call it foolish, naïve hope that if I'm ever that far up shit creek, somebody might do the same for me," he tells me honestly, this was when I knew this was a good guy and that I am grateful for his help. "Guess I'm an even bigger dumbass than you," he tells me jokingly but I didn't feel the need to laugh. Both of us climbing down a set of ladders before our feet touched the ground.

"I'm back. Got a guest plus four geeks in the alley," Glenn spoke into a walkie talkie as we ran down a set of stairs and stopped almost at the bottom, stunned as we saw two walkers make their way to us. Our bodies both tensing but then two men in black safety suits and baseball bats came out. Beating up the two walkers that were heading towards us.

We ran towards the room they had exited as the walkers growled from their brains being smashed to pieces. "Let's go!" Glenn called out to the two in suits.

"Morales, let's go!" another voice called as I left the door wide opened for them, waiting for them to follow us and my heart pounding in my ears from the rush of adrenaline. The voice was male and judging by the name so was the other suited man. When they rushed in, we closed the doors behind us.

Suddenly, I was pulled by my shirt and thrown against a pile of boxes. A woman with blonde hair, blue eyes and a gun pointed to my head. "You son of a bitch. We ought to kill you," she growled at me as her hand was firm against my chest. My hands raising to show an act of surrender.

"Just chill out, Andrea," one of the suited men said as he began to unsuit himself and stepped closer to the woman who had her gun to my face. "Back off," he said again.

"Come on, ease up," a woman with dark skin said, her eyes flickering from me to the woman so-called 'Andrea'. Keeping my calm as I kept my eyes on Andrea.

"Ease up? You're kidding me, right? We're dead because of this stupid asshole," she growled as she tensed up and kept her aim on my head, her head shaking with incredulous in her eyes.

"Andrea, I said back the hell off," the man growled as he stepped closer again, taking off whatever was left of his suit. "Well, pull the trigger," she encouraged when she finally didn't listen to him.

"We're dead. All of us..because of you," the woman said as she began to cry, shaking her head and letting me go. Slowly, I breathed back to normal and watched as she looked at me with sad eyes.

"I don't understand," I admit to them, still new to this whole new life and how this world had changed drastically. One of the men had grabbed me, the same one who told Andrea to back off. Pushing me down halls and into a room as he walked beside me.

"Look, we came into the city to scavenge supplies. You know what the key to scavenging is? Surviving! You know the key to surviving? Sneaking in and out, tiptoeing. Not shooting up the streets like it's the O. K. Corral," the one that was pushing me said, he gave me a final push into a room which looked like a corner shop.

"Every geek for miles around heard you popping off rounds," another man said, he was black and was one of the men to save us in that alley in the black suits.

"You just rang the dinner bell," Andrea said as my body tensed, seeing glass doors and windows surrounding the entrance, walkers pressed up to it and pushing against it. One or two thumping against the glass with rocks in their hands to break the glass.

"Get the picture now?" one of the men asked me. My body frozen from shock as I kept my eyes glued to the nightmare in front of me. Growling, snarling, banging and thumping against the windows and doors...all because of me.

"Oh God," Andrea spoke as we all rushed to hide in the back, watching the walkers eagerly try to get in with us. "What the hell were you doing out there anyway?" Andrea questioned me as she looked at me.

"Trying to flag the helicopter," I answer them honestly, watching as they watched me curiously. One of the males gave me a look of pure anger and as though I had three heads.

"Helicopter? Man, that's crap. Ain't no damn helicopter," the black one said as he shook his head and the others all either watched us, the doors or glanced down at the ground they stood on.

"You were chasing a hallucination, imagining things. It happens," the black woman said as she shook her head and raised her hand kindly, as though to excuse me of my sanity.

"I saw it," I declared, sure of myself and not doubting it. _I'm fed...stable, hydrated. I lost my family...not my mind! Well...I partly didn't...waking up to this would drive anyone crazy._

"Hey, T-Dog, try that CB," the other man said to the black guy. _So he must be Morales._ "Can you contact the others?" Morales asked T-Dog as he pulled out a CB and tried to make it work.

"Others? The refugee center?" I asked them, unsure of what exactly they were trying to contact and who.

"Yeah, the refugee center. They've got biscuits waiting at the oven for us," the black woman said with sarcasm evident in her voice. Looking at me like I was probably dropped on the head as a child.

"Got no signal," T-Dog announced to us which made me shake with slight worry, tensing at the thought we were stuck here in this close to closing in building. "Maybe the roof," he suggested and that was when we heard a gun firing.

"Oh no. Is that Dixon?" Andrea complained as she looked up at the roof. Where the noises were coming from.

"What is that maniac doing?" the black woman questioned as they all ran towards another room.

"Come on, let's go," Morales instructed as me and Glenn ran up behind them, following them up the stairs up onto the roof and seeing a man with a gun, short hair, white...possibly middle age or more or less my age shooting walkers with a rife.

"Hey, Dixon, are you crazy?!" Morales asked him as though this man was even more of an idiot than I was. 'Dixon' began to laugh uncontrollably, his voice was raspy as he chuckled and we just stood there, watching him as continued to fire.

"Oh jeez," someone mumbled as he turned to look at us, his rifle loose in his hands as he pointed it around as if it was a tool.

"Hey! Y'all be more polite to a man with a gun! Huh? Ah! Only common sense," he said as though with this gun, he had all the power he needed to take the lead on everyone. To take control.

"Man, you wasting bullets we ain't even got!" T-Dog informed him as he kept on laughing. "And you're bringing even more of them down on our ass! Man, just chill," T-Dog said a little angered as Morales came up beside him, the three men all close to each other as we watched their interaction.

"Bad enough I've got this taco-bender on my ass all day. Now I'm gonna take orders from you? I don't think so, bro. That'll be the day," Dixon told us as we all stood there and they looked irritated but I was honestly a little confused. You could tell he was a redneck but..._is he bringing race into this?_

"'That'll be the day'? You got something you want to tell me?" T-Dog questioned pissed off at how rude this guy was being especially as he refered to Morales as 'taco' especially because he seemed to come from a Latin background.

"Hey T-Dog man...just leave it," Morales tried to encourage T-Dog to do, hoping he would leave this racist asshole to his own thoughts and opinions.

"No," T-Dog said as he raised his hand and got closer to Dixon. T-Dog standing his ground against Dixon.

"All right? It ain't worth it," Morales tried to ease them, to calm and clear T-Dog's mind, to not cause a possible fight and make things worse. "Now Merle, just relax, okay? We've got enough trouble," Morales tried to explain to the man others refered to as Dixon.

"You want to know the day?" Merle asked as he licked the inside of his cheek, swaying lightly from side to side on his feet, trying to intimidate T-Dog and not backing down either.

"Yeah," T-Dog answered, looking to Glenn he shook his head and hands. Telling me not to worry, the tension coming off the two told me they were really close to having a fight.

"I'll tell you the day, Mr. 'Yo,'...it's the day I take orders from a nigger," Merle said rudely as we saw him say it proudly, knowing it would tick T-Dog's buttons and he got the reaction he wanted.

"Mother-" T-Dog said as he went to punch Merle, all riled up and only got him hit in the face with the but of the gun, falling flat onto his back and I went to separate the two.

"Hey, come on, Merle. That's enough," one said as I tried to grab Merle but only got punched in the nose, falling to the floor as others stood there and screamed.

"Come on. Dixon! Whoa, cut it out, man! Stop it! Dixon, get off him! Dixon, you're gonna hurt him. Merle, cut it out! No no no, please. Please," they all screamed, shouted and begged as the two fought, Merle beating up T-Dog as the others shouted orders.

Getting up, I checked my nose to see I was fine, there was no bleeding...just the shock. Getting back onto my feet, I grabbed my cuffs and watched as Merle pointed a handgun in T-Dog's face, watching as everyone stayed silent or begged for him not to do it. To not kill T-Dog.

Merle took a minute to observe the group before formulating saliva and spitting it on T-Dog's chest. Rubbing it in as he tapped T-Dog's chest and got to his feet, gun in hand. "Yeah! All right! We're gonna have ourselves a little powwow, huh? Talk about who's in charge...I vote me. Anybody else? Huh? Democracy time, y'all. Show of hands, huh? All in favor? Huh? Come on. Let's see 'em," he ordered as he pointed the gun at them, his stance lazy and clearly he was on something.

"Oh, come on. All in favor?" he asked as they pulled T-Dog away from Merle, some of them raising their hand and the black woman lifting her middle finger up at him. "Yeah. That's good. Now that means I'm the boss, right? Yeah. Anybody else? Hmm? Anybody?" he asked all cocky, as though he still wanted to continue fighting.

"Yeah," I growled as I grabbed the rifle and bashed it into his face as he turned to look at me. He fell onto his back like T-Dog did and I quickly dragged him to the pipes and cuffed him to them.

"Who the hell are you, man?!" he asked me as I lifted him to sit up, staring him down to show him who was actually intimidating.

"Officer friendly," I growled at him. "Look here, Merle. Things are different now. There are no niggers anymore. No dumb-as-shit, inbred white-trash fools either. Only dark meat and white meat. There's us and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart," I tell him as I fixed his gun to my own purposes.

"Screw you, man," he growled at me lazily, making me hiss at his attitude and nod.

"I can see you make a habit of missing the point," I insult him as he eyed me with a look of anger and vengeance plotting in his brain.

"Yeah? Well, screw you twice," he spat out again, making me lean up a little above him, pressing the gun against his temple as I bared my teeth at him. Unhappy with the way he was acting.

"Ought to be polite to a man with a gun," I said as I cocked his gun and said the same words he did. "Only common sense," I imitated him angered by his attitude towards me and his group of other survivors.

"You wouldn't. You're a cop," he pointed out just by looking at my uniform, which made me want to laugh but only allowed me to shake my head and move the gun away from his temple, lowering myself to look him directly in the eyes.

"All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and kids. Anybody that gets in the way of that is gonna lose. I'll give you a moment to think about that," I tell him as I searched his pockets. Incase of any weapons but I wasn't surprised to find a snorting stick. Looking at his face, my eyes scanned his nose, seeing some of the white powder on his nose. "Got some on your nose there," I said as I flicked it off of him.

"What are you gonna do? Arrest me?" he laughs out and I stood up to clutch the stick. Throwing it over the wall and into the air. Letting it fly to wherever it wanted to land. "Hey! What are you doing? Man, that was my stuff! Hey!" he grunted out as he struggled against the cuffs

"If I get loose, you'd better pray...yeah, you hear me, you pig?! You hear me?!" he screamed after me as I walked towards the other end of a wall, to get away from him as I rubbed at my knuckles, wrist and hand. My heart pounding as my hands shook from the adrenaline and wanting some fresh air as I looked over the balcony. Seeing walkers cover the somewhat abandoned and empty, filthy streets.

"Yeah, your voice carries," I muttered to him and myself, hearing footsteps come up behind me and turning to see the footsteps stop beside me.

"Do you hear me, you filthy pig?!" Merle continued to insult me but I only ignored him, knowing full well he wouldn't be a problem for me any longer. Especially now that he was in cuffs.

"You're not Atlanta P.D. Where you from?" Morales asked me as he stood beside me and watched me curiously.

"Up the road a ways," I told him, keeping it vague as I didn't quite trust him but...I knew he wouldn't try anything right now and I did step up to Merle so it must have gave me credit.

"Well, officer friendly from up the road a ways...welcome to the big city," he tells me as we looked beyond the distance, watching the walker filled streets and tall, abandoned buildings that was once a form of civilisation.

Thunder was rumbling walkers were moaning and stumbling around beneath us. "My God, it's like Times Square down there. How's that signal?" Andrea commented as she looked to T-Dog who sat down on the ground opposite Merle.

"Like Dixon's brain...weak," T-Dog answered her as he tried to get signal. Merle just raised his hand to show him his middle finger, not amused by the insult as we searched for a form of escape.

"Keep trying," Morales encouraged him as we all looked around for a away out. Non of us coming up with any ideas or not using a voice to speak up and suggest one.

"Why? There's nothing they can do. Not a damn thing," Andrea said a little negatively. _Where the hell is all this negativity coming from? Is there not a positive bone in this girl's body? _

"Got some people outside the city is all. There's no refugee center. That's a pipe dream," Morales informed me as we looked down at the streets, walkers wandering around aimlessly as we watched them walk by.

"Then she's right. We're on our own. It's up to us to find a way out," I say taking initiative, trying to come up with any way that allowed us a chance of escape.

"Good luck with that. These streets ain't safe in this part of town from what I hear," Merle spoke out to me. Calming down from his high before his eyes trailed over to Andrea who was looking in a bag. "Ain't that right, sugar tits? Hey, honeybunch, what say you get me out of these cuffs, we go off somewhere and bump some uglies? Gonna die anyway," he suggested to Andrea slightly negative himself.

"I'd rather," Andrea answered which gave me a small smirk. _The girl has a mouth on her, that's for sure...I'll give her that._

"Rub muncher. I figured as much," Merle insulted Andrea, possibly angered by her turning him down and humiliating him in front of us all.

"The streets ain't safe...now there's an understatement," Morales murmured as he looked to me and then back down.

"What about under the streets? The sewers?" I suggest, remembering there were passage ways from under. Tunnels.

"Oh man. Hey, Glenn, check the alley. You see any manhole covers?" Morales asked but all we saw were gurgling, growling and wandering walkers covering the streets as we all looked for a sewer entrance.

"No, must be all out on the street where the geeks are," Glenn spoke as he searched all sides of the streets, seeing nothing but walkers and no manholes closer to us that wouldn't be a threat to us.

"Maybe not. Old building like this built in the '20s...big structures often had drainage tunnels into the sewers in case of flooding down in the sub-basements," the woman who I learned was Jacqui said as she tried to remember something. Making me look at her curiously.

"How do you know that?" Glenn asked her as we all looked at her surprised at this knowledge. Hopeful that this was out ticket out of here.

"It's my job was. I worked in the city zoning office," she informed us as we all nod and decide to go down and check.

"This is it? Are you sure?" Morales asked as we reached a hole in the ground, ladders leading us down to the sewers as there were no echoes or sounds walkers would usually make coming from below.

"I really scoped this place out the other times I was here. It's the only thing in the building that goes down. But I've never gone down it. Who'd want to, right? Oh. Great," Glenn said but as he spoke we looked down and then back up at him, he was fast, knew his way around and could possibly make it alone.

"We'll be right behind you," Andrea encouraged him as she tried to reassure him of his safety.

"No, you won't. Not you," Glenn disagreed as he shook his head and examined each of us.

"Why not me? Think I can't?" Andrea asked, a little insulted of the insinuation.

"I wasn't-" he tried to save himself but I stopped them both before Andrea could but in.

"Speak your mind," I tell Glenn, instructing him not to be afraid to tell us anything. Especially his idea.

"Look, until now I always came here by myself In and out, grab a few things No problem. The first time I bring a group Everything goes to hell. No offense. If you want me to go down this gnarly hole, fine But only if we do it my way," he tried to reason, trying to do what was best for him and all of us.

"It's tight down there," he stated as he glanced down. "If I run into something and have to get out quick, I don't want you all jammed up behind me getting me killed. I'll take one person," he said as I went to step up to take that place.

"Not you either. You've got Merle's gun and I've seen you shoot. I'd feel better if you were out in that store watching those doors, covering our ass," he said as he looked at me, giving me a half compliment, but it was a compliment enough.

"And you've got the only other gun, so you should go with him," he said as he looked at Andrea, trying to explain why he wouldn't take her with him. "You be my wingman. Jacqui stays here. Something happens, yell down to us. Get us back up here in a hurry," he instructed as he looked at Morales and Jacqui.

"Okay," Jacqui agreed, nodding her head once as we all looked at each other.

"Okay, everybody knows their jobs," I said as we all nod and agree to what we had to do, to make sure we could all get out of here alive and together. We all went our separate ways, Jacqui stayed by the ladders while both me and Andrea stayed downstairs, by the shop and herd of walkers. Glenn and Morales went down the ladder and into the sewers.

"Sorry for the gun in your face," Andrea apologised softly after a few minutes silence, searching for anything of use and value.

"People do things when they're afraid," I excused her by trying to emphasise with her, knowing that this life wasn't easy.

"Not that it was entirely unjustified. You did get us into this," she says as I nod and agree that I did. _I didn't know...I did just wake up from a coma..._

"If I get us out, would that make up for it?" I ask her as we kept looking, her eyes drifting towards me and then back down at some things that we could scavenge.

"No, but it'd be a start," she said with a small smirk forming on her lips. I knew she was being slightly playful with her manerisms.

"Next time though, take the safety off. It won't shoot otherwise," I instruct after listening to the riled up walkers that knocked on the windows and doors.

"Oh," Andrea said softly as she pulled out her gun and looked down at it slightly unsure how to do such thing.

"Is that your gun?" I ask her, unsure she had ever properly used a gun before. _Maybe she didn't need to...not until now possibly._

"It was a gift. Why?" she asked to my insinuation.

"Little red dot means it's ready to fire. You may have occasion to use it," I say as I show her how to do it, handing it her back, our eyes locking in a serious stare. _She knows I'm right...god...I already had to shoot a few myself._

"Good to know," she replied, unsure what to do as she slipped it back into her back pocket.

"See something you like?" I question her as I see her standing by a jewelry section, her eyes glued on one object as I get closer to her.

"Not me, but I know someone who would...my sister. She's still such a kid in some ways. Unicorns, dragons She's into all that stuff. But mermaids...they rule. She loves mermaids," she tells me as her eyes flickered towards me and then back to a necklace that was around a mannequin's neck, of a mermaid.

"Why not take it?" I ask her, hoping she would and give it to her sister. _I know exactly what it's like to give a girl you care about, something you know they would be happy to receive..._

"There's a cop staring at me," she said as she looked at me from the corner of my eye, giving me a look of slight teasing. Making me chuckle as I watched her. "Would it be considered looting?" she asked me quite stupidly.

"Don't think those rules apply anymore. Do you?" I question her as I looked at her seriously. _It doesn't matter anymore, just like my job, education and what little civilization there was left. All I am now is a father, surviving and looking for my family._

Andrea took the necklace off, placed it into her back pocket and gave me a kind smile. Glass shattered as we watched walkers smash through the first pair of doors, getting closer to the main doors and us.

Pulling out my gun, I rushed towards the door, aiming up at the doors as I watched out for any walkers. Seeing Glenn, Morales and Jacqui run towards us, staring at the door in shock and horror. "What did you find down there?" I ask them as they got beside me.

"Not a way out," Morales replied quickly, without hesitation.

"We need to find a way...and soon," Andrea stated as we all stood there, on edge as to what would happen to us and the doors if our eyes left it for even a momentary glimpse.

Thunder was rumbling above our heads as we ran towards the stairs to meet with T-Dog and Merle on the roof. "That construction site, those trucks...they always keep keys on hand," I said as I passed the binoculars to Morales, checking out a construction site that could be our ticket out of here.

"You'll never make it past the walkers," Morales said a little negatively, making me frown a little before looking to Glenn who looked stressed at the thought of going out there.

"You got me out of that tank," I stated as I looked to him, he seemed nervous and unsure as he looked around and then back to me.

"Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted," he explained as we tried to make a new plan for us to leave safely and together in one piece.

"Can we distract them again?" I ask him, only to be answered by a sarcastic Merle Dixon.

"Right. Listen to him. He's onto something. A diversion, like on 'Hogan's Heroes,'" Merle joked as he sat there cuffed to a pipe.

"God. Give it a rest," Jacqui ordered, clearly getting tired of Dixon's shit.

"They're drawn by sound, right?" I ask them, trying to reassure them all and get a straight and solid escape plan.

"Right, like dogs. They hear a sound, they come," Glenn agreed as he thought this over.

"What else?" I ask them as I looked around at the others in the group, to see what else I didn't know and could note down.

"Aside from they hear you? They see you, smell you and if they catch you, they eat you," Morales told me as he made it seem like it was not hard to know or understand.

"They can tell us by smell?" I asked them a little dumbfounded, unbelieving that this was actually true.

"Can't you?" Glenn asked like as if I was a stupid person.

"They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct," Andrea said as she thought about it, probably saying the truth seeing as dead things always has the tendency to decompose.

"If bad ideas were an olympic event...this would take the gold," Glenn said as we agreed to pull in a dead walker and use it's dead scent to mask our living one. I had found all of us gloves and other barrier clothings that wouldn't allow the infected liquids or skin to touch our own. So that non of us would get infected.

"He's right," Morales said as we all began slipping our barrier clothes over our clean and normal ones. "Just stop, okay? Take some time to think this through," Morales said, trying to convince me to not go forward with this plan but my mind was already set.

"How much time?" I ask them as I looked towards the store's glass doors and windows. They already got through one set of doors, that glass won't hold forever," I state as I tried to make him see that we needed to act now or become lunch later.

We had pulled in a walker we killed early, breaking glass I pulled out the fire axe and watched as everyone's eyes followed my every move. Getting ready to cut the walker open, I couldn't and stopped to go on one knee beside him. Searching his pockets as I found an ID card.

"Wayne Dunlap. Georgia license. Born in 1979. He had $28 in his pocket when he died...and a picture of a pretty girl. 'With love, from Rachel.' He used to be like us...worrying about bills or the rent or the Super Bowl. If I ever find my family, I'm gonna tell them about Wayne," I said as I tried to make sure we were thankful for this man's death in helping us live.

"One more thing...he was an organ donor," Glenn added as we all realised that this was literally what was about to happen to Wayne Dunlap's corpse. He was going to be our organ donor. Grunts echoed the room as I began to cut him open.

"Oh! Madre de Dios!" voices called out as I continued chopping. "Oh! God! Gack! Oh God," they continued, the sloshing sound of organs and blood splattering everywhere. "Oh. Dios! Oh God," they kept on as they would groan and pull faces of disgust. Glenn pacing around beside me.

"Keep chopping," I ordered Morales as I passed him the axe and went beside Glenn to try and calm him down.

"I am so gonna hurl," Glenn spoke as he had his hands on his head, pacing around the room as he tried not to think about the smell or about what was going on right now.

"Later. Everybody got gloves? Don't get any on your skin or in your eyes," I explained as they all agreed and began to dig their fingers into the corpse of Dwayne. Getting anything they could as they we smothered both me and Glenn with walker guts. Moaning, groaning and complaining continued. Glenn was the loudest.

"Think about something else. Puppies and kittens," I tried to suggest to him, so he didn't have to think about this negative experience.

"Dead puppies and kittens," T-Dog said which didn't make things any better for us. Especially not Glenn.

Glenn turned around and threw up on the ground at the thought. "That is just evil. What is wrong with you?" Andrea said to T-Dog as we all knew that wasn't a good move to do when it came to this task.

"Next time let the cracker beat his ass," Jacqui said to me as she smothered me in the guts and blood.

"I'm sorry, yo," T-Dog apologised but it clearly didn't help poor Glenn feel any better about this.

"You suck," Glenn groaned out as we continued to put guts and blood over us.

"Do we smell like them?" I asked them, trying to make sure we smelled dead enough to go outside and be with them.

"Oh yeah," Andrea said with a small wriggle of her nose, her face pulling a look of pure disgust. "Glenn. Just in case," Andrea said as she took her gun out and slipped it into his waistband.

"If we make it back, be ready," I tell them, to stay cautious and ready for our arrival.

"What about Merle Dixon?" T-Dog asked me, unsure as to what would happen to me as I had the key to the cuffs that kept Merle on that roof. Digging into my pocket, I threw it at him and he caught it.

"Give me the axe. We need we need more guts," I ask for as I go in to chop open Dwayne some more, the sloshing sound echoing in my ears.

"Oh God!" some people said as I continued to chop poor Dwayne up and smothered my body in his guts and blood. The door creaked as both me and Glenn walked side by side, my axe in hand and Glenn holding onto a machete.

Walkers were growling as we carefully dragged our feet and wobbled as we stepped. Trying to imitate walkers as best as we could. A hand and foot dangled around my neck as it was tied to a piece of intestine.

Glenn having the other hand and foot around his neck as we made it past two walkers, who eyed us a little weirdly, causing me to tense and grip onto the axe a little tighter. We didn't see them look at us as we got past them, relaxing as we got down to go under the bus and crawled under. Getting up onto our feet slowly as we watched walkers stumble around and crawl beside us.

Slowly walking, our feet dragging or limping as we made our way towards our destination, growling, snarling and wandering walkers walked past us. Thunder clashing as the sweat on my skin got damper from the heat of the moment and sunlight.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Dale and Jim were fixing the RV as Amy was wandering around camp, pacing as she worried for her sister Andrea. The others were still in Atlanta. Me and mom were folding up clothes together, while watching Carl and Shane bond over tying knots.

"Attaboy," Shane said as mom watched them happily, a smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah," Carl spoke proudly as he showed Shane what he was doing to the rope.

"And three, two, one pull it," Shane instructed encouragingly.

"Ah! Aw," Carl said sadly after messing it up a little, the two of them laughing as they tried it again. Shane kept giving Carl instructions as I nudged mom, pulling her away from her daze as I gave her a small smile.

"Something wrong sweetie?" mom asked me with her soft and gentle voice. Smiling down at the ground sadly I shook my head, continuing to fold up clothes as she watched me. Her eyes examining me from the corner of my eye.

"Tonight's the night...isn't it?" I asked her and she just nods, removing clothes from the line and folding them up and placing them in a bucket. We grew silent and sad, remembering him quietly and that was when I felt an arm go around me waist, behind my back and gently rubbing my spine slowly. _Mom was trying to comfort me...but we both know she misses him too._

"Hello, base camp! Can anybody out there hear me? Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?" The radio squawked, making us pull our attention away from the clothes and walk towards the RV.

"Hello? Hello? Reception's bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat," Dale spoke into the CB. Hoping someone could hear us now since Shane tried to fix it and said it should be able to work if we were lucky.

"Shane, is that you?" T-Dog asked into the CB, making me roll my eyes. Shane wouldn't give a damn about the others if it weren't for mom and Carl..._he doesn't care much about me. Never did...never will and well...I'm fine with that._

"Is that them?" mom asked as we looked up at Dale. Static invading our ears as Carl stood beside me and mom, placing my hand on his shoulder as I held him close to my side, giving his shoulder a slight squeeze to comfort him.

"We're in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store," T-Dog informed us, making us all look down at the ground or up at the CB shocked or afraid. Amy frozen on the spot as she listened in.

"He say they're trapped?" Shane asked rubbing at his face and head, his voice questioning but a little disappointed. Everyone gathered, their voices silent as we tried to catch anything else from the CB.

"There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded," T-Dog said, the CB crackling and making funny noises. Frowning, I leaned down and pressed a gently kiss on Carl's forehead.

"T-Dog, repeat that last. Repeat," Dale called into the CB hopeful. Only static came out and just as quickly we got a signal, the radio stopped.

"He said the department store," Mom said as she walked towards Shane, who was watching mom intently and curious. His face serious as he knew what she was about to say.

"I heard it too," Dale agreed quickly, seeing as he was the one closest to the CB and was the one talking to T-Dog.

"Shane?" Mom began as she walked towards him, leaving me and Carl behind her. She raised her hands up as though she was about to plead and beg him to go save the others. That something was needed to be done.

"No way. We do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that," Shane snarled at her, forcing her to stay here and staying with both me and Carl. Knowing I should be thankful, I knew it wasn't right to talk to my mom like that.

"So we're just gonna leave her there?" Amy questioned Shane as she stepped up to him, threatening a little as she spoke of her sister. It wasn't right to leave Andrea behind, or any of the others who had risked their lives in search of supplies.

"Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy," Shane began, trying to comfort Amy with words but only making things worse for the poor girl.

"She volunteered to go to help the rest of us," Amy pointed out, explaining that this wasn't right when Andrea stood up to help Glenn and the others.

"I know, and she knew the risks, right? See, if she's trapped, she's gone. So we just have to deal with that...there's nothing we can do," Shane said as he shook his head, making me shake my own in disbelief. _This isn't right...at all._

"She's my sister, you son of a bitch," Amy cursed, rightly so and pushed past him angrily. Storming off, before running and crying at the thought of her sister. This made me sad, pulling Carl closer to my side as I felt his little arm wrap around my waist.

Thunder rumbled as mom looked at Shane shocked, then back at Amy, running after the girl who was heartbroken about the effort we had towards the group and her sister. "Amy!" mom called after the girl.

"Come on. It's all right, buddy," Shane said as he rubbed the top of Carl's head and gently the side of my arm. Moving my arm away from him slowly, I bent down and looked at Carl with a small smile.

"How about...we go into the woods and you can name the plants, tell me if their poisonous or not...yeah?" I ask him and he smiles, nodding as his blue eyes stared right into mine. Tapping his shoulders, I bumped his chin with my finger and made him look at me. "Make sure you stay close, alright?" I ask him and he giggled, nodding and making me kiss his cheek...

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

Walkers were growling, the streets were still filled, the sky looked like it was going to rain and we still weren't in the van. "It's gonna work. I can't believe it," Glenn whispers surprised at how far we already were and how close we were going. The van only a few minutes away from us.

"Don't draw attention," I whispered back, gritting my teeth as to not make as much noise, my anger starting to boil from the tension in my body. Walkers slowly passing us as we tried not to make them notice us as what we were...alive. Glenn began to growl as a walker was getting too close to us.

It began to rain, it started as a drizzle and soon turned into a storm. Rain falling, thunder clashing and walkers gurgling closer to us. Following us slightly as the rain started to wipe away our masking smell. Looking down at my feet to see the blood dripping onto them. Walkers looking around, sniffing like dogs confused and hungry.

"The smell's washing off. Isn't it? Is it washing off?" Glenn asked me, panic evident in his voice as we were almost there. I tried to keep him calm, so that we could reach it and get out of here quickly.

"No, it's not. Well, maybe," I say as we suddenly heard a walker roar and they began to run towards us. Turning my back, I slammed the axe into it's head and yanked it out. The walker falling to the floor as I looked to Glenn. "Run!" I screamed as we began to run, killing walkers as they roared, snarled and ran towards us.

We climbed and jumped over the railing, slipping the coats off, I grabbed my gun and began to shoot climbing walkers down. Covering our backs as Glenn ran towards the case that held the van keys. He opened it, dug his fingers in and grabbed the key and screamed my name. He threw it towards me, catching it, I turned my back to the walkers and ran to the van, opening the door and starting it.

When the engine finally started, Glenn jumped into the car and shut the door. A walker jumped towards his window, "Go go go go!" he screamed at me, making me let the tires screech. Speeding back, as we tried to get a way of escape. Walkers had already pushed down the fences and were making their way towards us.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. They're all over that place," Glenn said, panic in his voice as he looked at me for answers or a way out. For some sort of comfort or advice.

"You need to draw them away," I tell him, a plan clear as day in my head was being planned. Knowing that this plan would work if we were careful and open minded. That all we needed was that diversion.

"Those roll-up doors at the front of the store, that area? That's what I need cleared. Raise your friends. Tell them to get down there and be ready," I instruct him, telling him this and nothing else. This was my plan, just like he wanted his way...this was now mine.

"And I'm drawing the geeks away how? I- I missed that part," Glenn asked me, unsure as to the plan and what was to happen. I explained to him in detail what would be happening and he agreed, saying it seemed smart enough and that we would need to be careful.

As we got towards a corner, I saw a good enough car and we got out, being as quiet as we could, I smashed down the window and opened the door. The alarm blaring in our ears, alerting every walker around of our whereabouts. Using a screwdriver I started the engine, as Glenn got in and started revving it.

Allowing me to get into the van, I got ready for us to go, he let the tires screech as he drove down roads, the engine purring and red car sliding along the streets. Walkers rushing after it and allowing me to follow from a distance, trying to stay as silent as possible.

Glenn had stopped by the shop they were all at, by the back as he waited for the walkers to crowd around the car, when they got close enough, he slowly drove back, and closer as he spun the car around and waited for them to get even closer. When they were close enough, he sped away and lead them far from us.

Driving up, I slowly turned and backed up into the roll up doors, putting it on park and climbing out of my seat. I could hear voices and growling, unsure if this was a good idea but did it anyway. I slid up my own roll up door and banged on the door, waiting for them to roll up theirs.

Helping them place the bags in the back of the van, I did a few and climbed back to the front, watching them as they rapidly got things in and then one by one they climbed into the back. Engine revving as we saw walkers get closer to Morales and T-Dog, shutting the door, everyone sat down as I drove as quickly as I could out of Atlanta.

"I dropped the damn key," T-Dog said as we all sat there in silence, the soft sounds of panting and smell of sweat and nerves surrounded us. T-Dog looked away from anyone, upset that we had left a man up on the roof and I hadn't noticed until now.

"Where's Glenn?" Andrea asked, which just made me stay silent, making me want to hold in my laugh, instead I smirked and shook my head. Reassuring them all that he was more than fine, that he was going to get there before we would...

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><p><strong>I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please may I have 5 more reviews? To get me encouraged to write the next chapter. I have the plan ready but...I want you guys to help me out. What do you think? Do you want more? What would you want to see happen? Leave your comments and responses in a review or PM if you prefer! Thanks.<strong>

**Much love,**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	3. Chapter 3: My Daddy

Chapter 3: My Daddy...

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~12 years ago~_

_Peeking through the door, I saw how my parents cuddled and kissed the bundle that was in their arms. The soft sounds of a baby cooing, while I felt my heart drop and freeze over. Running through the hallways, I got on my tippy toes and reached for the door. Grabbing a coat as I left the house, my gloves and hat were in my pocket as I ran down the dark streets._

_I ran for what felt like hours, alone and watching cars rush by. My parents that once loved me, now were too busy with the new 'member of the family' Carl. His small pale face, blue eyes and chubby structure made me want to cry. They didn't want me anymore, so I would go to a place where people would want me and be alone like I already felt._

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

_Smiling, I looked down at Carl and Lori as she put him down in his cott. Walking out of the room, I placed a kiss to both their foreheads and went to go find Kat. When I saw she wasn't there, I began to search for her through the house. "Kat?" I called down to her. Knocking on the bathroom door as I looked for her. Nothing was to be found. She wasn't around. There were no answers to my calls._

_"Kat?!" I called out again, my attempt failing as I tried to find my daughter. Rushing through the halls, I tried to keep my calm, checking every room and gaining no result, other than she wasn't responding. Going into Carl's room, I found Lori cradling him while he slept and this made me look at her panic-stricken. "Kat...she's missing," I tell her as I came up with a theory as to why she was nowhere to be found._

_Lori gave me a look of worry and shock, unsure of how to process it and ran out of the room. Calling for her as we both checked around the house, seeing that she wasn't anywhere to be found. Lori and I met in the livingroom, she sped her way towards the phone and dialed a number I knew well..._

_"Hello?" the voice on the other line called, his voice deep as he spoke. His rough voice and familiar voice asked from the phone. "Rick? Lori? Why you calling?" he asked after we stayed silent, Lori's shoulders shook as she took a deep breath and decided to answer._

_"Shane...Kat's missing," Lori said as she sobbed, hoping he could help us. My body shivered at the thought of our daughter out there alone and wandering the streets at night. Gently taking the phone off of Lori, she sobbed as I spoke to Shane, telling him what had happened and hung up, grabbing my coat as I hurried out the door in search of Kat._

* * *

><p><strong>Present day...(RPOV)<strong>

"Best not to dwell on it, Merle got left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back," Morales tried to comfort both me and T-Dog. "Except maybe Daryl," he said after a single sigh.

"Daryl?" I questioned him. _Who would honestly miss the asshole we left on the roof? I know I wouldn't._

"His brother," he tells me and this makes me nod. _Makes sense._ Glen was passing by, the alarm approaching us as Glenn whooped. "At least somebody's having a good day," Morales said as he watched the happy Glenn drive around without a care in the world.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

We were sat around the fire by the RV, kids were running around, others were fixing tins to a string so we could hear if walkers got too close. Mom was cutting Carl's hair, she offered to do mine but I just giggled and shook my head. I liked my long hair, it was what I had left...that connected me to my past other than my...

"Baby, the more you fidget, the longer it takes. So don't, okay?" Mom asked of him, pulling me away from my thoughts as I watched Carl really concentrating, making me giggle at him and shake my head.

"I'm trying," he told her and this made me laugh. Carl pulled an angry face at me, which made me bite my bottom lip and smile at him. Giving him a small 'sorry' as he looked down at the ground with a sigh.

"Well, try harder," Mom said and this made me giggle again. Causing Carl to glare at me again.

"Why doesn't Kat get a hair cut?" he asked mom and this made me smirk.

"Because I'm a girl...and I like my hair long...don't you?" I ask him as I shook my hair out of my pony tail, only to tie it back up again.

"If you think this is bad, wait till you start shaving. That stings. That day comes, you'll be wishing for one of your mama's haircuts," Shane said as he was fixing his shotgun.

"I'll believe that when I see it," Carl said, disbelieving as I smiled, remembering how Dad would shave in the morning and always smelled of his strong cologne...

Shane chuckled at Carl's reply. "I'll tell you what You just get through this with some manly dignity and tomorrow...I'll teach you something special," he said which caught Carl's interest. "I will teach you to catch frogs," Shane said while mom looked at him with a small smile.

"I've caught a frog before," Carl answered which made me shake my head and smile at him. _We all catch a frog once in our lives baby brother. _

"I said frogs plural, and it is an art, my friend. It is not to be taken lightly. There are ways and means. Few people know about it. I'm willing to share my secrets," Shane teased with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, I'm a girl. You talk to him," mom said as Carl looked up at her. Causing chuckles to erupt from Shane, a beaming smile on his face. Carl then looked at me, to see if there was approval or if this was simply a waste of time.

"I say...you should find out his secrets and tell me them later," I tell him with a smile and wink. This made him laugh and give me his toothy smile, making me grin at him. Looking at Shane, he began to chuckle, nodding as he looked at the three of us.

"I like it...you askin' the women in your family for advice...that's good. That's man quality there," he said to Carl which made me smile at them. "It's a one-time offer, bud not to be repeated," he told Carl, who just looked at him questioningly.

"Why do we need frogs, plural?" Carl asked with a confused and slightly quizzically tone.

"You ever eat frog legs?" Shane asked him with a raised eyebrow and playful manner to his tone.

"Eww!" Carl said, squirming on the ground and pulling a face of disgust.

"No, yum!" Shane teased as he looked at the three of us, all of us laughing and smiling at Carl. Shane's eyes often drifting up at mom.

"No, he's right. Eww," Mom said and I nod, agreeing with the both of them. A little bit of vile came up my throat at the thought of eating frogs legs. Or frogs period.

"When you get down to that last can of beans, you're gonna be loving those frog legs, lady. I can see it now 'Shane, do you think I could have a second helping, please? Please? Just one?'" Shane teased at mom, imitating her voice incorrectly.

"Yeah, I doubt that," Mom said as she watched Shane, finishing Carl's hair and looking at me, shaking her head and giggling to herself.

Chuckling, Shane looked at Carl and gave him a small smile as he continued the joking and teasing. "Don't listen to her, man. You and me, we'll be heroes. We'll feed these folks cajun-style. Kermit legs," Shane said a little proudly, I wasn't sure what he was trying to prove but...I decided to get up and walk towards Dale.

"I would rather eat miss Piggy," Mom said and this made me laugh, getting up to walk towards the RV. Carl's hand struck up and grab onto mine. His blue eyes looking straight up at me as he held me there, stood beside him as he clutched onto my hand. "Yes, that came out wrong," mom said as she giggled to herself, the rest of us laughing with her.

"Heroes, son, spoken of in song and legend. You and me...Shane and Carl," Shane began to joke again, it started to die down, as did his laughs as he saw Carl take no notice. Only focusing on me. Sadly I bent down to Carl's level to speak, but as I went to open my mouth, there was a car alarm approaching from the distance.

Rushing towards the others, we found out that someone had stolen a car and was making their way towards us. When it stopped in front of us we saw Glenn get out of the car, people screaming at him to turn it off and Amy asking him about Andrea. "Yeah, fine. Everybody is. Well...Merle not so much," Glenn said a little sadly, as though there was something he wasn't telling us.

"Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?" Shane questioned Glenn, trying to pin point him as if he was an idiot and the bad guy.

"I think we're okay," Dale defended Glenn, stepping closer to the front, I watched as the interaction took place and crossed my arms firmly around my chest.

"You call being stupid okay?" Shane asked Dale as he tried to intimidate him.

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source. I'm not arguing. I'm just saying," Dale spoke as he looked at Shane. "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?" Dale asked pointing at Glenn. Glenn just looked around slightly being ganged up on, his whole body tense and rigid from the tension and sadness. Everyone kept giving him a hard time.

"You guys need to give the boy a break. He probably used that alarm for that purpose back at Atlanta. He's learned his lesson...now get off his back," I tell them and they look at me sadly and Shane a little irritated by my opinion.

"Sorry. Got a cool car," Glenn said a little shyly, his shoulders shrugging slightly as he felt his happiness go down with his fun. Slowly the truck approached us and parked up behind the RV.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

We had pulled up, my hands were shaking as I felt my body freeze over. My family weren't yet to be found and taking a rest was what I needed...but would it be what I needed more than my actual family? Sighing, I looked around and saw everyone climb out to go towards other camp members and family.

"Come meet everybody," Morales tells me as I stopped the engine. Sliding door opening as others hopped out and greeted their loved ones.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

People started exiting the van as I saw Carl turn to mom, she crouched to his level as she looked him in the eyes and held his hands. Carl would have dreams that Dad was still alive, that he was looking for us. Fighting for us. That he didn't die and that one day he would come find us.

"Baby...it was just a dream, dad...he's...gone. He ain't coming back," mom tried to comfort him while telling him what she thought was needed to be said. This made me frown as I leaned down with them and wiped away a few stray tears of Carl's. Holding both their hands as I kissed it.

"I thought we had lost you folks for sure," Dale said as he greeted Morales. Pulling him into a manly hug, only to pull him away and look at him. "How'd y'all get out of there anyway?"

"New guy he got us out," Morales told us as he looked back, probably to the new guy as mom and I looked to Carl sadly.

"New guy?" Shane questioned him confused with a hint of unsure thought in it.

"Yeah, crazy vato just got into town. Hey, helicopter boy!" Morales said to Shane but then looked towards the van. "Come say hello," Morales said to the guy in question, we heard a door open then shut, some feet shuffling towards us and then Morales said "The guy's a cop like you," to Shane.

Looking up at the man to get a good look at him, I felt my heart pound from within my chest. The man who stood before us was...Dad. His brown hair short, not scruffy like it was the last time we saw him, his stubbly beard was gone and he looked...like the day he was shot. His blue eyes connected to each of our faces as I felt tears start to run down my cheeks.

"Oh my God," both me and Dad whispered at the same time as I giggled. He smiled at me brightly, Carl saw him and stopped crying, when mom saw him she froze and took in the sight which was Dad. Alive. And in the flesh.

"Dad! Dad!" Carl screamed as he slipped his hands out of mom's and ran towards him, running up behind Carl, I followed closely and saw as Dad fell to the ground as he hugged Carl. Tears forming in my eyes as I got to him, the two of them getting to their feet. Dad was crying with joy, just as I was and Carl.

Dad placed a hand on one side of my face, rubbed his thumb against my cheek to wipe away my tears, he then attacked the two of us with kisses, as we both kissed our father's cheek, who we believed was dead after all this time. The same man who gave us life, who gave purpose and was the strongest man in my life. Smiling, I hugged the two men in my life tightly, mom coming up beside us as we all hugged each other in a group.

* * *

><p>Crickets were chirping in the distance as we sat together by the burning fire. The crackling of the fire as it lit up the dark sky, giving light and thankful warmth. We had finished eating our night-time meal, so now we were all just relaxing by the fire. I sat beside Dad, my head rested on his shoulder, Carl's legs resting on my lap as his torso laid on Dad, his head on mom's lap. Mom sat on the other side of Dad, her fingers intertwined with his. Dad's head rested atop mine, his free hand on Carl's head caressing and playing with Carl's hair. Carl's hand was in mine as we placed them on his chest comfortably. All of us in a comfortable family tangle.<p>

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented, fear, confusion...all those things but..." Dad said as thunder rumbled in the distance. "Disoriented comes closest," Dad said sadly as he stared into the fire, keeping us close to him. He stopped stroking Carl's head as he moved his hand up to rub at his lips, probably shocked to wake up to this world.

"Words can be meager things. Sometimes they fall short," Dale spoke as he looked at Dad and then around the other camp members. Mom would glance up at Shane and then back down at Carl. Gently resting her free hand on his face, gently rubbing up and down the side of his neck to his cheek.

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from...ever," Dad said as he gently placed a kiss on the side of my head. Making me sigh and shut my eyes tightly to his kiss, holding in any tears that threatened to escape.

"Mom said you died," Carl whispered up at Dad sadly, his hand in mine trembled a little which made me rub the back of his hand with my thumb, giving his hand a little squeeze to try and relax his nerves.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it," Dad said as he moved his head a little, making me look up at him and him to look at all three of us.

"When things started to get really bad...they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta...and it never happened," Mom said a little saddened and pleased that it didn't end up happening, unsure if Dad would have even survived there in Atlanta's hospital.

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell," Dad said as he looked around at the others, realising that it was multiple other families and survivors around us. Calmly sat by the fire and chatting amongst the others. Mom responded with a simple 'yeah,' "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun," Dad pointed out more to himself than anyone else.

"Yeah, looks don't deceive. I barely got them out, you know?" Shane said as he looked at me, Carl and Mom but telling Dad this information. Not us. We knew what he told us, what he had said to both me and Mom at least.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it," Dad said and I silently placed my head on his shoulder again, waiting for anyone to probably speak up and say what everyone already knew about Shane and...gratitude.

"There go those words falling short again. Paltry things," Dale spoke as he looked to Dad, Shane, Mom and me. Wood clattered in the distance as we all turned to see it was Ed throwing wood into the small burning fire he had for him and his family.

"Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane questioned him, using a voice that would be recognised for a cop. His tone authoritive, taking charge of what was right and wrong.

"It's cold, man," Ed said lazily as we looked at him, raising my head from Dad's shoulder as I looked at Ed and his small family. All wrapped up and a little afraid of what was going to happen. We could all tell that something was going to happen.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?" Shane questioned him again, Dad looked at Shane from the corner of his eye, knowing what this meant. His eyes meeting mine for a second, I was slightly worried because I didn't want there to be a fight.

_If there's a fight...or any type of argument...he'll beat up poor Carol and vicious things to little Sophia. No one deserves that type of punishment from others within the group. _Dad possibly sensed my slight fright, gently pressing a kiss to my forehead and letting his lips linger there. Making my breath shiver in a little worry. When he pulled away he gave me a small smile, a hopeful but sad one and it made me shut my eyes for a few seconds.

"I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once," Ed answered back to Shane, my head slowly resting against Dad's shoulder again as Mom gently let go of Dad's hand and reached over to caress my cheek. Me and Mom would discuss Carol and Sophia when Carl wasn't around, unsure of what to do but letting our feelings out so that we didn't have to bottle them up.

"Hey, Ed," Shane started as he got up and pats down his pants. When he got closer he spoke softly to the man. Barely audible but it was loud enough for some of us to hear. "Are you sure you want to have this conversation, man?" Shane asked Ed, not so politely but not as threatening as he could be.

"Go on. Pull the damn thing out," Ed demanded of Carol as he gave in to Shane's complaining. "Go on!" he ordered Carol, his patience running thin and poor Carol stumbled out of her seat and rushed to the fire. Pulling out a log with her hands.

"Christ," Shane muttered as he watched Carol get out of her seat. The wood thunking to the ground, sizzling as Shane stomped the fire out. "Hey, Carol, Sophia, how are y'all this evening?" Shane asked kindly, crouching to their level as he looked at the two girls.

"Fine. We're just fine," Carol answered quickly, knowing that Ed didn't believe women were to be heard. They were to sit there and look pretty. To not cause any trouble, if not they would be hit. Shane agreed with a nod and a small 'okay'. "I'm sorry about the fire-" Carol began but was cut off by Shane.

"No, no, no. No apology needed," Shane said with a small smile at the two, Ed huffing a little at the side, knowing it was pointedly his fault. "Y'all have a good night, okay?" Shane suggested kindly before he got up onto his feet and gave a nod to the two.

"Thank you," Carol answered politely, Sophia never looking up at Shane. Only to the ground or the fire.

"I appreciate the cooperation," Shane said to Ed, a hint of sarcasm mixed with anger in his voice was evident. Walking back to us, he sat back down and stayed silent.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?" Dale asked us, making me remember as to why we would think about the other Dixon brother. He wasn't much of a talker, he was more of the action type. He would do the hunting for us with his brother Merle, they both would throw insults to others but...he always seemed to keep his distance.

He was good to the kids, never spoke badly of them. He kept his distance more away from Sophia, Carol and us. As in, Carl, Mom and me. "He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind," Dale stated. _I wouldn't either. Especially Carl. Carl is my baby brother, I would kill anyone who left him behind or kill whoever tried to hurt him._

"I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me," T-Dog said a little sadly, we didn't know he dropped the key, only that the guy was cuffed to a roof. This made me a little sad. T-Dog may have dropped it but...it wasn't his fault.

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine," Dad said which made me move my head to look at him, a little shocked and surprised he would actually own up to something like that. _About Merle Dixon...owning up to that to Daryl Dixon...does my Dad really want to get killed? After he just finally found us? While we believed he died of a gun shot?_

"Guys, it's not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy," Glenn said but I kept my eyes on my Dad. His own blue pair gazing into mine. I was looking for answers while all he gave me was blank.

"I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from him," T-Dog said, trying to be tough, to be a man and to stand up for what he did. Accepting any consequence that was thrown at him from Daryl.

"We could lie," Amy suggested but I looked over to her and shook my head. My free hand was on Carl's legs, keeping them close and on my lap.

"Or tell the truth," Andrea suggested as she looked at the rest of us, Amy had her head on Andrea's shoulder, much like how I had mine on Dad's. "Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed. Your husband did what was necessary," Andrea said as she looked at Mom then Dad. "And if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's," Andrea said which was agreeable at most but...no one would be happy if that was someone they cared about on that roof.

"And that's what we tell Daryl? I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?" Dale asked us, his eyes searching the group for any answers, but everyone stayed silent. We all knew Dale was right. "Word to the wise...we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt," Dale tells us while some of them nod, some others staying silent and unmoving.

"I was scared and I ran," T-Dog spoke up as he looked from the fire, up to us a little sorrowfully. "I'm not ashamed of it," T-Dog admitted. _Everyone gets afraid sometimes and run, it's normal. Why is he pointing this out? _

"We were all scared. We all ran. What's your point?" Andrea asked him, just as confused as I was. As all of us were.

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that. Not that chain, not that padlock. My point...Dixon's alive and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us," T-Dog said as he got up and walked off towards his tent.

"Dad...if you own up to something like that...please be careful. I'm not saying that Daryl or Merle are bad people but...if that was me...and I found out someone had left Carl or Mom...or you behind...I wouldn't be thinking clearly. So please...be careful on how you word it and if you admit to your part in leaving Merle behind," I say to him, gently placing my hand on his chest to get his attention. His eyes searched mine as I spoke, the silence enveloping us as we all kept to our own thoughts.

The crickets and fire crackling were all that was left to be heard. Gradually people started to talk among themselves, mom suggesting that we should get to bed, especially Carl since it was past his bed time. This made me giggle as I got up with him, Mom and Dad slowly following our lead. I went to stop Carl by gently holding onto his shoulders and turning him to face me.

"Hey Carl...how about you spend the night with me? In my tent? We'll read a book together of your choice and let Mom and Dad talk about adult stuff. Yeah?" I asked him and he smiled at me, nodding but Mom opened her mouth to speak.

"Wait. I-" she went to speak but I shook my head and raised a hand to her. Standing up straight, I carefully pulled Carl to my side and hugged him to me. He smiled at Mom but it soon dropped as he knew what she was going to say.

"Mom...I can protect Carl if there are any geeks around. Anyway...I don't mind my baby brother sleeping in the same bed as me," I tell her happily, looking down at Carl with a smile as he looked at me excitedly. He gave mom a pleading look as we both did the same face.

Mom agreed to it, making me crouch down to Carl's level again and hold onto his elbows. "Now...go get some clothes for tonight, tomorrow morning we'll move your stuff into my tent...yeah?" I ask him with a bright smile and his eyes twinkled with happiness and delight. Giggling, I watched as he ran to the tent, grabbed his favourite book and mom followed him to help him decide what to take.

This left me with just Dad and the others around the camp who watched us. Dad gave me a proud smile as I felt my heart swell up with happiness and...sadness. _I thought I would never see that smile again...or that face. _From instinct, I walked to him and attacked him in a hug.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me tight. His head resting on top of mine. "What's this for Kitty Kat?" he asked me slightly teasingly. Chuckling as his nose breathed in my scent, his nose wriggling its way into my long brown curls. Smiling, I nuzzled my face into his chest.

"I thought you were dead...I- I didn't know if I would ever see you again," I told him with a small whisper. He pulled my head back a little to cup my face in his hands. The tears were escaping my eyes as I looked at every inch of his face. The face of my father, the man who raised me, the one who gave me life with Lori. My dad. His kind and sweet face, one that gave me hope in this shit hole of a new world.

"I know baby girl. I know...but hey...I found you, didn't I?" he asked me with a small smile. Wiping away at my tears and gently kissing my forehead for the hundredth time since he got here. "I'm not going anywhere...I promise," he tells me kindly and this makes me smile, giggling a teary giggle.

"I love you, Dad," I tell him as I felt my heart beat happily, finally having my long lost Dad back. For him to protect us and be with us in this crazy world. The love for the man who raised both me and Carl. The man who we believed had died thanks to Shane.

"I love you, Kat...and Carl...and Mom," Dad said with a small chuckle, tears forming in his own set of blues. His bottom lip trembling slightly, my hands gripping onto his shirt as I clenched them into fists. "I found you all," he whispered more to himself than to me or anyone else. I answered with a small nod and a quiet 'yeah'. "I knew I would," he said which made us both laugh.

"You're getting cocky now, a little bit," Mom said as she walked to us, making me and Dad pull away with a laugh. Dad shook his head as he pulled the other two into a hug. Kissing the top of Carl's head as he looked at mom and teased her.

"No. No, I knew. Walking into our home, finding an empty house, all of you gone," he said as he looked to all three of us. Mom frowned and clutched Dad tightly.

"I'm so sorry," Mom said sadly. Dad shook his head as he looked directly at her.

"I knew you were alive," he said as he let his eyes bounce between me, Carl and Mom. Carl walked towards me and slipped his hand in mine.

"How?" Carl asked him confused and slightly surprised, his brows furrowing in question. Thunder rumbled in the distance as we watched our Mom stare at Dad as he looked at the three of us.

"The photos were gone, all our family albums," he said with a small chuckle, making mom giggle and me smile brightly. Carl blushed a little but smiled at our happy parents. "I told you so," Dad teased as he looked at Mom and nudged her gently. Making the camp members chuckle and giggle.

"Now you're getting cocky, huh? A lot," Mom teased as we all laughed, sighing I saw as Carl tried to hide a yawn. Giggling, I swung our joined hands back and forth, smiling at our parents as I gave them a small nudge to Carl.

"I'm going to go take little Carl here to sleep. Goodnight," I tell them and then the others in the group. Letting go of Carl's hand only for him to reach up for it again. Moving my hand away, I looked down at him and raised my eyebrows at him. "You're not going to give Mom and Dad a kiss goodnight? Or tell the others goodnight?" I questioned him and he sighed. A backpack in his free hand where I assumed he held his clothes, necessities and book.

"Are you?" Carl asked me as he raised an eyebrow at me which made me laugh and roll my eyes. Telling him I would, he ran up to Mom, hugged her and pecked her lips. He then jumped up to Dad like he did earlier and pecked his lips too. Walking over, I hugged Mom and kissed her cheek, she whispered a small thank you and let go of me. Moving to Dad, I squeezed him in a tight hug and kissed his cheek twice.

Going back to Carl, he took my hand in his as we both waved to the others and said our set of 'goodnight' to them. Walking into my tent, we both took our turn to get into comfortable clothing, looking at my bow which was at the corner of my tent. Carl crawled into his side of the bed, book in hand as I read to him calmly. Half way through, he stopped me by grabbing onto my hand before I could turn over the page.

Looking down at him, his bright blue eyes looked into my own as he frowned and stayed silent. "What's wrong?" I ask him but he just moved closer to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His head resting on my stomach as he cuddled up to me.

"I missed Dad and...I'm just glad were all back together again," he mumbled into my shirt. "Mom didn't believe me..." Carl said as he was referring to his dreams and then looked up at me from the space I had left between me, the book and my chest. "At least we don't have to remember him anymore...right?" he asked me and I just put the book to one side. Wrapping my arms around Carl tightly as I thought about what he said.

"I suppose we don't...but...It's always good to think about the past, to remember things from what they used to be. Things change and we just...have to keep moving on with our lives," I tell him and he just nods, his eyes still looking up at me as he then stayed silent. "Want me to continue reading or...do you want to keep talking about something?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"You can turn down the lights, I'm ready to sleep...if you are," Carl suggested and I just nod. Leaning over, I turned down the lamp as I wriggled down onto my pillow and let Carl place his head on my chest, cuddling me tightly to him as I held him in my arms. Kissing the top of his head he whispered "Goodnight Kat," gently into the dark tent.

Sighing, I wriggled a little and got comfortable. Staring at the ceiling in thought as to the future and this surprising day. "Goodnight Carl," I whispered back to him. Quickly he fell fast asleep and shortly after I succumbed to the darkness too...

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

People were chatting, birds were tweeting and my eyes slowly opened and closed, gaining vision of the empty space beside me. Last night, I had made love to my wife and made up with her for all the shit we went through before the outbreak. Before the shot. Getting changed into fresh clothings Lori left placed in the tent, I walked over out and headed towards Lori who was hanging clothes up on the line.

"Morning," I would answer to other camp members who would greet me as I walked by. No Carl or Kat to be found, a woman I believed wa called Carol was fixing my clothes.

"Morning" the woman greeted me.

"Morning," I replied kindly with a nod of my head.

"They're still a little damp. The sun'll have 'em dry in no time," Carol said softly, timid and kindly. Her eyes looking up at me briefly before she looked down again to the clothes she was ironing.

"You washed my clothes?" I asked her surprised that they did such a thing and in a little amount of time.

"Well, best we could. Scrubbing on a washboard ain't half as good as my old Maytag back home," she tells me as she looked down at the clothes, getting closer to her and noting she was in fact scared. Her eyes looking up at me briefly in an act of politeness.

"That's very kind. Thank you," I tell her, grateful for what she had done for me.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

This morning I woke up to a very sleepy Carl in my arms, still clung onto me in sleep and snoring softly. Giggling, I shook and wriggled around, hoping it would stir his sleep and it did. "Good morning sleepy head," I teased and he just groaned and chuckled.

"It's so...early," he complained as he turned his body away from me, his back facing me as he grumbled that he wanted more sleep, giggling, I leaned over and began to tickle his sides. His body squirming and rolling as he tried to get me to stop. Laughing his face turned bright red, his eyes tearing up and his laughs becoming more silent and tired. "Please...stop! I surrender!" he begged and I let him go.

His laughter started to die down as I quickly got up and slipped into a new set of clothes. "Get up and let's have breakfast," I tell him and he rubbed at his eyes, rolling over, he slipped out of bed and watched me slip my bow around me. "I'm going to do some practicing later, you better not be there when I am," I tell him and he nods, sniffling and reaching for his clothes.

Slipping out, I waited for him to get ready and we both made our way towards the fire, having our breakfast silently with Mom as we all smiled and talked among our little group. Talking about Dad and that he needed his rest. Mom left to go the laundry, I left to go practice my arrow shooting skills so that I wouldn't grow rusty and Carl left to go play with Sophia and the other kids.

Tools were clanging as Dale and the others tore apart Glenn's baby. The car they had stolen was used for extra things for the RV and other cars. Glenn was sad that they had to break apart his car, the thing that made him happy and free. Dad soon woke up, making his way over to the others and stopping to talk to mom.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Morning, officer," Lori said with a small smile and kind eyes. She was folding up laundry and watching me intently.

"Hey," I replied, seeing Andrea and Amy helping Lori, watching us as I got closer to Lori.

"You sleep okay?" she asked me politely.

"Better than in a long time," I told her, chuckling as we both looked at each other and she giggled.

"Well, I didn't want to wake you. I figured you could use it," Lori told me, rightly so but_...I still wanted to have breakfast with my family. _"God. What?" she questioned me as I didn't move from looking at her.

"I've been thinking about the man we left behind," I answered her truthfully.

"You're not serious," she asked me as though I was being stupid. Sighing, I was going to speak when I heard a car approaching. It was Shane driving with a few big bottles of water.

"Water's here, y'all. Just a reminder to boil before use," he said and gave me a quick nod of his head. Raising my hand to tell him I got the message.

"Are you asking me or telling me?" she questioned, making me think of what Kat had said and it was true. Leaving someone you loved behind...it wasn't right or human. No matter the reasoning behind it.

"Asking," I told her bluntly. Trying to cut to the chase.

"Well, I think it's crazy. I think it is just the stupidest way to break your-" Lori began but was then cut off by a woman screaming in the distance. Then the sound of children calling. Of Carl calling. By instinct both me and Lori began running towards the sound of our son screaming. Both of us looking for Kat and Carl. Calling out to them.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Just as I shot an arrow at my target board, I then heard a woman scream, children calling out for their parents...and Carl's voice calling to me, Mom and Dad. Pulling out my arrow, I ran towards the voices, to Carl and found him crying. He ran to hug me, sobbing as I got to my knees and held him. Relief washing through me to seeing that he was okay.

"Nothing bit you did it? No scratches? Did it grab you? Are you okay?" I bombarded him with questions, not giving him a chance to answer as I checked every inch of skin. He was fine, Mom and Dad were soon beside me. Lifting me and Carl up to check us, asking us if we were fine. I told them we were perfectly fine. Then groups of men told us to go a certain direction, Dad followed and grabbed a weapon. Rushing after him, I told mom to look after Carl while I would look out for Dad. That I would be fine.

Grabbing my bow, I pulled out an arrow from my quiver and got ready to aim. Stopping at a spot, we saw a geek munching on a dead deer, his back to us and this was when I slipped my arrow back, placing my bow to sit around my torso. My machete in my hand-made utility belt, I slipped it out and watched as my Dad saw me, pushing me to stay behind me. The walker getting to his feet and turning to growl at my Dad.

Dad quickly hit it with his spear, stunning the walker and then Shane hit it with his gun, everyone getting their hit as I just stood back and watched them a little confused. Pushing dad out of the way, I gripped onto the handle of my machete and sliced the walker's head off. Finishing this piñata like fight and stopping the walker from moving or attacking.

"It's the first one we've had up here. They never come this far up the mountain," Dale spoke first after everyone was panting, Dad rest his hand on my back and patted it gently. As if to tell me good job and that he was proud.

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what," Jim commented which made me look around slightly stunned. Suddenly a branch snaps, causing us all to become alert again. Trying to calm our breathing, only to hear footsteps come closer, the bushes rustling and Shane edging closer to the sound. Shotgun at the ready.

"Oh, Jesus," Shane grumbled as we all lowered our weapons, seeing Daryl stumble towards us, looking at us and then down at the deer he was possibly hunting.

"Son of a bitch. That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this," Daryl began to complain, kicking at the walker that was laying on the ground dead and unmoving. "Filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!" he said and then stumbled towards the rest of us, pacing around angered at the fact he was hunting and it didn't go as planned.

"Calm down, son. That's not helping," Dale said, Dad placing a hand near me to push me behind a little. Daryl glared a little at Dale, his eyes drifting to all of us in the group, then to me and quickly back to Dale. His soft expression turned hard and vicious.

"What do you know about it, old man?" Daryl questioned threateningly at Dale as he got face to face with the elder man. "Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to 'On Golden Pond'?" Daryl teased, trying to insult Dale and then moved towards the deer.

"I've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison," Daryl explained as he pulled out the arrows from the deer's now infected corpse. "What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this...chewed up part right here?" he asked the others, looking up at them and showing the part he was talking about.

"I would not risk that," Shane said as he shook his head and pulled a face of disgust at the deer. This caused Daryl to sigh and walk towards the camp. He turned his back to look at us over his shoulder. I saw Mom and Carl come over to us, stood by Amy and Andrea and watching us.

"Kat," Carl called out to me, sighing, I leaned over to Dad and slipped my hand in his. Giving it a small squeeze before wandering towards them, leading them back to camp and were about to enter the RV when we heard Daryl calling out to Merle...

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

A walker was in a small clearing, Kat had chopped off it's head and soon left when a mysterious man I assumed was Daryl came out from behind the trees. Complaining about the walker that was eating the deer he had been hunting. Insulting Dale and kicking at the walker, this man was clearly one not to trust.

"That's a damn shame. I got some squirrel About a dozen or so. That'll have to do," he said as he looked over his shoulder. Kat had left to go with Carl and Lori back to camp. Leaving me with the others, making up my mind on how to explain to this man about his brother.

"Oh God," Amy said as she quickly turned away, seeing the walker's head start to move and come back to life. Daryl raised his crossbow as Andrea quickly followed her sister back to camp.

"Come on, people. What the hell?" he questioned us, aiming, he shot the bolt into the walker's head. Right into it's eye, stopping it from moving anymore. He walked to it, stepping on it lightly and pulled out his bolt. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?" he mocked us as he turned his back and headed towards the RV.

"Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up," Daryl called out as he walked towards camp, placing his bow to the side as we all followed closely behind him.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you," Shane said as he walked behind the redneck, placing his shotgun in his car and walking up to a sudden stop.

"About what?" Daryl asked Shane, his body tensing slightly, his voice was questioning but I knew that he could tell what it would be about.

"About Merle. There was a...there was a problem in Atlanta," Shane tried to start it off, unsure of what exactly to say seeing as he wasn't there but knew the story well enough.

"He dead?" Daryl asked as I placed my spear on the ground, Lori was out, blocking the RV door's exit and entrance. Kat stood there in the RV with Carl as I saw Kat's breathing become heavy with possible fear.

"We're not sure," Shane told him truthfully, no one would be able to tell the boy any different. As non of us had 100% the right or wrong answer.

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl complained, unsure as to what happened and where his brother was. _He only wants the truth...he wants to know what happened to his brother. It's only fair._

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it," I begin to say as I walked forward, moving my way closer to the two other men. Standing between the two who were facing each other.

"Who tha fuck are you?" he asked me, looking over his shoulder at my family behind him. Kat looked like she wanted to run to me, to protect me. Lori looked tense, unsure of what would possibly happen with this discussion and Carl looked like he just wanted this to end.

"Rick Grimes," I inform him.

"Rick Grimes, you got something you want to tell me?" he said as he mocked my name a little by exaggerating it.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there," I tell him, unsure of any other way to tell him other than being blunt and straight to the point.

"Hold on. Let me process this," he said as his voice began to shake either with anger or sadness, I couldn't tell. "You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!" he shouted at me, anger evident as he spoke this time as he built up to it.

"Yeah," I reply, not about to rat out T-Dog and to take the blame by myself. There was no other way to say it and it had to be done. _Like Kat said...she would hate it if it was Carl or Lori or me on that roof._

Grunting, Daryl threw the squirrels he had in his hands and I dodged in time. Shane then pushed Daryl away from me, blocking his attempt to make a run at me. Both of them tumbled to the ground as I saw T-Dog make his way towards us. "Hey, watch the knife!" he gave a heads up.

"Dad!" Kat screamed as she pushed against Lori but she kept her arm firm, not allowing Kat to get in the way and get hurt accidentally. Kat then suddenly ducked under, but Lori grabbed her in time and made them both fall to the ground. Shouting, grunting both Shane and Daryl got to their feet, Daryl trying to get a slice at me but missing.

Dodging, Shane then came up behind him and grabbed him in a choke hold. "Okay. Okay," Shane said as I twisted Daryl's hand and taking the knife from him.

"You'd best let me go!" Daryl growled as he was trapped in the choke hold, Shane slowly backing them up towards the car Glenn drove before.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't," Shane replied as they got down to the ground.

Grunting Daryl struggled to get out of Shane's grip but finally began to calm down. "Choke hold's illegal," Daryl complained but I just looked over to see Lori and Kat still on the ground.

"You can file a complaint," Shane teased sarcastically. _This worlds gone to shit, choke holding is the least of his problems._ "Come on, man. We'll keep this up all day," Shane spoke as he tried to get Daryl to calm down and to succumb to his authority like manner of handling the situation.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that?" I asked him as I crouched down to his level, keeping an equal eye contact as I tried to reason with him. "Do you think we can manage that?" I ask him again when he didn't respond.

"Hmm?" Shane asked me, his eyes meeting mine as we looked down at Daryl who was panting in this stance.

"Mmm," I nod at him as he asked me silently with his eyes if it was the right time to let Daryl go. Shane let go of Daryl with a small nod and 'yeah' before dropping the boy to the ground. Panting Daryl looked up at me.

Crouching down again, I looked at Daryl directly in the eye and watched as he tried to calm down from the fight we had two minutes ago. "What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others," I informed him, trying to reason the fact I had put Merle to the roof in the first place.

"It's not Rick's fault," T-Dog spoke, which made us all look towards him and made me frown a little. "I had the key...I dropped it," T-Dog admitted as he clenched his jaw, owning up to his role in the whole situation.

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asked T-Dog, confused as to why it was even an issue. _A mistake like that wasn't a good enough reason to not help someone escape. Everyone knows that._

"Well, I dropped it in a drain," T-Dog explained further as he looked at Daryl sadly, un happy with how things turned out for the Dixon brothers.

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't," Daryl said as he got up, a fist full of dirt in his hands as he threw it to the ground beside T-Dog's feet. He was about to continue walking off when T-Dog stopped him.

"Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door to the roof. So the geeks couldn't get at him...with a padlock," T-Dog tried to keep Daryl's hopes up.

"It's gotta count for something," I but in, encouraging that hope as Daryl looked between both me and T-Dog. Daryl just gave us his back and you could tell he was holding back tears.

"Hell with all y'all! Just tell me where he is so's I can go get him," Daryl pleaded slightly, his tone desperate and demanding at the same time.

"He'll show you. Isn't that right?" Lori said as I looked towards them, both Kat and Lori were on their feet again. Kat holding onto Carl's hand lightly and Carl staring at me, waiting for my answer...all three of them waiting on my reply.

Nodding, I looked around to see everyone else waiting on my reply as well. "I'm going back," I announced and this causes Lori to walk into the RV and for me to sigh. Kat looking at me shocked and Carl staring at me with heartbreak...

* * *

><p>"So that's it, huh? You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else?" Shane questioned me and my purpose, trying to make me change my mind and to stay put. Letting a man die out there, alone and on a roof...<em>it isn't right.<em>

"I'm not saying to hell with anybody. Not you, Shane; my family least of all," I tell him and tapped his stomach when I said his name, slipping on my work shirt and started to walk off.

"Tell them that," Shane called out, making me stop in my track and turn to look at him. Surprised he would even try and threaten me like this. _This isn't normal of him..._

"They know," I answer back bluntly. Turning my back to walk away from him.

"Well, look, I- I don't, okay, Rick? So could you just...could you throw me a bone here, man?" Shane called out to me as he followed me closely. "Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" he asked me which made me turn to look at him. Nearing Daryl, Daryl clearly heard and pointed one of the arrows he was cleaning lazily to point at Shane.

"Hey, choose your words more carefully," Daryl said as he glared at Shane, angered that Shane had just insulted his brother.

"No, I did. Douche bag's what I meant," Shane said as he looked at Daryl, moving his head to look at me then Daryl repeatedly. "Merle Dixon," Shane dragged out the name as he mocked the name itself. "The guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst," Shane said and...maybe it was true but that doesn't justify what we did.

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me_. I _can't let a man die of thirst. _Me_. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being," I explain, trying to sound true to what I believed in, looking over at my family to see Kat smiling sadly at me.

"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori asked me, as though I was crazy of even thinking it and I then turned my head to look at Glenn.

"Oh, come on," Glenn complained as he probably reflected on what happened last time he brought a group.

"You know the way. You've been there before. In and out, no problem. You said so yourself. It's not fair of me to ask I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know they would too," I tried to reason, to convince him to join us an to put all our minds at ease.

"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men, huh?" Shane asked me, sounding angered that I was being stupid enough to follow through with this plan.

"Four," T-Dog stepped up and this was when Daryl huffed and cleaned his bolts roughly.

"My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Daryl complained as he mumbled it mostly to himself.

T-Dog glared at the redneck boy who sat down and fixed his crossbow. "You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?" T-Dog questioned and this was when I saw someone stand up and speak that I didn't think would even imagine would let this sort of thing cross her mind.

"I am," Kat spoke up, Lori's eyes looking up at her stunned, my jaw clenching and Carl's eyes looking up at her worried. Stepping closer I shook my head, Kat raised her hands and backed away from both me and Lori. Shane laughing dryly and sarcastically.

"No. I don't think it's safe for you to go," I tell her, wanting nothing else than her safe and protecting our family. She glared at me and gave me a look of determination and disappointment.

"So it's not safe for me...but it is for you?!" she argued and this made Shane nod his head. The rest of the camp members were watching us as the scene unraveled itself. "Let me go with you...we're safer together and you know it. I can back you up, I know you'll keep me safe," she tried to reason, he blue eyes turning sad and pleading. The look she knew that would break my heart and give into whatever she wanted.

My facial expression began to soften as I deliberated on answering her. Lori quickly taking that slot to talk herself. "No. I won't risk losing you out there Kat. It's dangerous, your father barely made it out of there alive...right Rick?" she asked, Lori's eyes searching mine for back up but I just look down. "You've got to be kidding me..." she said as she got up and pulled me away to have a private discussion.

"She'll be safe and...she's tough. She needs to know what it's like out there, not everything is hidden and safe like this is," I try to reason to Lori. "She's willing to go and we need to respect her decisions, she's grown up now...not a child anymore and...Lori...she handled a walker when all we were doing was hitting it like some...party decoration," I told her and I saw tears start to form in her eyes.

"If _anything_...happens to either of you...especially our baby girl...you'll have no one else to blame but yourself...got it?" she threatened, a few tears ran down her cheeks as she wiped them away and walked towards Kat, kissing her cheek and hugging her tightly, a sad look on Lori's face as she sat down next to Carl and held him to her.

Stopping, I looked at Kat and gave her a nod. "I'll keep you safe but...you do exactly as I say and don't leave my sight. Got it?" I negotiate with her and she nods, a smile on her face as she ran up to me and hugged me tightly. Her long curly hair was in a neat bun, her bow strapped around her torso, clinging onto her and her belt that held her machete rested above her hips.

Hugging her back, I kissed her cheek, breathing in her smell which was soft vanilla mixed with gentle rose. As she pulled away, she smiled that heart warming smile and kissed my cheek. Her bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement and happiness.

"That's four men and your own daughter! It's not just that. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick," Shane rambled to me, angered at the fact that even now I had more people on my side and even my daughter had volunteered to help.

"Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp," Shane growled out, trying to prove a point and only making me decide that the best option was to go back to Atlanta and retrieve three things.

"It seems to me what you really need most here...are more guns," I said as I knew what my goal was and that it was something necessary, like a bargaining chip for Shane's approval.

"Right, the guns," Glenn nods, remembering the day of me being in the tank, dropping the gun bag and telling me going back for them wasn't an option.

"Wait. What guns?" Shane asked us curious, as if we had our own little secret joke or something. He wanted to know what we knew about that he didn't.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up," I informed him as he looked at me curiously.

"Ammo?" he asked, an eyebrow raised as he looked at me. Wondering if this was even worth the trip and possibly allowing us to go retrieve it.

"700 rounds, assorted," I told him, causing him to nod and back away, agreeing that it was a good deal and reason to go find that bag.

"You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?" Lori questioned my reasoning, my thoughts and my beliefs.

"Dad, I don't want you or Kat to go," Carl told us shyly, making Kat lean over to him and kiss his cheek softly. _Kat shouldn't have to go...Carl and Lori clearly need her._

"To hell with the guns. Shane is right...Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in," Lori spat out at us, her eyes searching my face for answers. "Tell me. Make me understand," she pleaded as I was about to answer her.

"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy," I told her, she was about to speak and I stopped her before she could "Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him," I reasoned, trying to let her see the reason I needed to go and find that bag of guns.

"What's stopping you?" she asked me, slightly confused as to why I couldn't just go find them and tell them not to go to Atlanta. That it was all a trap and that there was no refugee center.

"The walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer," I tell her, she could understand a little as to why it was important but not fully as to why.

"These are our walkies?" Shane asked me, he was rubbing ferociously at his chin and mouth as he spoke. Sitting down my the burned out fire and looking up at me.

"Yeah," I answered quickly, getting straight to the point and not trying to discuss it any further.

"So use the C.B. What's wrong with that?" Andrea tried to find another way to try and communicate to the man I spoke of. Clearly unsure as to why we couldn't just use the C.B to contact Morgan.

"The C.B's fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap. Date back to the '70s, don't match any other bandwidth. Not even the scanners in our cars," Shane explained as best as he could to Lori as she just looked at me defeated.

"I need that bag," I tell Lori and she just looked at the ground defeated. "Okay?" I crouched down to look at Carl. He smiled and looked at me, nodding and agreeing that it was the right thing to do silently. Looking up at Kat, she smiled at me and gave me a nod. "All right," I say as I stand up and got everyone ready to leave.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Dad went to go talk to Dale and Jim about something while I grabbed my bow and quiver, stocking myself of arrows, checking the amount of ammo I had for my Beretta 40 caliber handgun and making sure my machete was sharp. When that was done, I walked towards Dixon who was pacing around, whistling he looked at me and I saw as his eyes trailed up and down my form. His face serious as I got close enough to speak to him.

"Can you come down here please? I need to talk to you," I tell him and he just jumps down from the back of the van and stood in front of me. He stayed silent but his eyes watched my every move quizzically.

"Whatcha' wanna talk 'bout?" he asked me and I just cross my arms at him. Looking him seriously in the eye, my jaw clenching and posture strong and straight.

"That thing back there...with my dad? Don't threaten his life like that again. He may not have made the best decision in the world with cuffing your brother to that roof...but...your brother brought it on himself," I start. He went to speak but I raised my hand, stopping him from being able to say anything.

"Now...I don't normally insult people and I understand the meaning of diversity...but...my father is a good man. He did what he believed would keep everyone safe at the time. If there is anything I know about my father...that is, he would do what he believed was right and what he thinks is right..." I drifted off as he watched me intently, adding suspension. Curious as to if he would answer or not.

"Is us going back to Atlanta to find your brother and save him. What you can't do is threaten his life like that again. We work as a team, not as individuals...otherwise we get no good result by working alone. I have never been rude to either you or your brother, so do me the favour and...no more fighting my father or anyone for that matter," I try to reason and he just looks me up and down.

"We'll talk when we find my brother, until then...whatever," he growled at me, not hinting that he wasn't disagreeing. He climbed into the truck again and honked the horn repeatedly. Grabbing everyone's attention as I sighed and looked to see my dad's eyes drift from Daryl to me. "Come on, let's go!" Daryl shouted to my Dad and T-Dog who were talking to Dale.

Mom walked towards me, Carl close to her and mom hugged me tightly. Kissing my cheek and cupping my face. "My brave and strong girl...when did you grow up to be become a woman?" she asked me teasingly. Laughing I shook my head at her and smiled. "It's because I grew up with such a great mom," I smiled at her, her eyes drifted down sadly and I knew why but I ignored it. Smiling at her kindly as she kissed my forehead.

"Kat?" Carl's small voice called up to me as I crouched down to his level, he looked sad and scared. "When will you be back?" he asked me but before I could answer, he threw his arms over my shoulders and hugged me tightly. "I'll miss you," he whispered, his voice trembling in sadness and fear.

"I'll be back before you know it," I tell him as I hugged him back, pulling away I looked into his teary eyes and kissed his nose. Making him giggle as I did so. "I'll miss you too but...you need to be brave...to look after mom while i'm away...so stay close to her, alright?" I asked of him and he just nods.

Dad walked over to us, bolt cutters in hand as we could hear Daryl pacing behind us. Dad hugged and kissed mom softly, crouching down to hug and kiss Carl as they said their good byes. "Keep each other safe and be careful," mom told us as she looked between me and Dad.

"Same goes to you two," Dad said to Mom and Carl. Pulling me to his side, he kissed my temple and patted my side, telling me to get into the truck. "Unless...you don't want to go," he tells me and I shake my head.

Smiling at him, I shook my head some more and looked at the ground. "Someone has to make sure you don't disappear on us again," I teased and he just chuckles. He was following me closely when Shane stopped him to give him some rounds.

Stepping up to sit at the back, I saw a hand reach out to take mine, surprised I looked up and saw it was Daryl. Taking it, I held on tightly as I watched his arm flex and help pull me up. Looking up at him, I steadied my feet and saw him still holding my hand. Quickly he let me go and wiped his hand against the back of his pants.

"Thank you," I said timidly, sliding my own hand into my back pocket and walking into the truck. Turning my back, I looked to see everyone stood there watching us as we were preparing to leave. Carl looking up at me in a daze, his mind probably making him think of me as brave and hoping we come back soon.

Mom just looked at me, he gaze breaking when she finally couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Waving I mouthed to the them 'I love you' and saw mom turn her back on me, her hand reaching up to her mouth as she cried to herself. Her shoulders and back shook as she held back her sobs. Carl's bottom lip trembling as he looked at me with those bright blue eyes. He mouthed a 'I love you too' which made me smile at him sadly.

_I'll come back for you. For both of you. With Dad. Safe...and sound. All of us together again and happy. I promise._

Pulling the door shut, I sat down and watched as my dad climbed into the front while Glenn started the truck, revving the engine and driving off. Slipping off my bow and quiver, I looked down at my arrows, counting them and looked up to see both Dad and Daryl watching me. Daryl playing with his own bolts as he quickly looked away, Dad's eyes locked on mine as he gave me a small and hopeful smile.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

I was pacing around in back of the truck, Glenn backing it up so that people could get in easily and I just paced in circles. Hoping that Merle was fine. That he was still alive. I was surprised to find out that more people wanted to join us to find Merle. Rick Grimes, the one everyone believed was dead while Lori was banging Shane, the best friend of her 'dead' husband. T-Dog, the dumb ass who left my brother for dead and dropped the key in the drain.

Glenn, the Chinaman, who supposedly knew his way around and was always so afraid of dealing with walkers. Then...the pretty girl at camp. The one who was Rick Grimes' daugher...Katherine. She seemed strong but...she was going to be a problem if we were going to have to fight a herd of walkers.

There was a sudden whistling noise that caught my attention. I looked to see it was the girl. Her hair in a bun, her big blue eyes looking everywhere but me and she saw my eyes trail up and down her body. My expression serious as I took in her sight, she got close enough to speak to me.

"Can you come down here please? I need to talk to you," she spoke up to me and this makes me jump down from the back of the van silently. Standing in front of her as I waited for her to say something. Not having the courage to say anything to her as, for if I did I might say the wrong thing. Watching every move she made as I deliberated on what to say to her.

"Whatcha' wanna talk 'bout?" I asked her and she crosses her arms at me. Looking me seriously in the eye, her jaw clenching and stance was one of power. Her posture strong and straight. She looked like she meant business, which only made me more nervous than I already was. _I don't communicate well with women...don't have the experience or knowledge how to. Grew up around men makes you like this._

"That thing back there...with my dad? Don't threaten his life like that again. He may not have made the best decision in the world with cuffing your brother to that roof...but...your brother brought it on himself," she began to speak. I went to reply but she raised her hand up at me, stopping me from being able to reply to her.

"Now...I don't normally insult people and I understand the meaning of diversity...but...my father is a good man. He did what he believed would keep everyone safe at the time. If there is anything I know about my father...that is, he would do what he believed was right and what he thinks is right..." she drifted off as she noticed me watching her intently, adding some sort of suspension between her words. _She probably thinks I'll say something bad._

"Is us going back to Atlanta to find your brother and save him. What you can't do is threaten his life like that again. We work as a team, not as individuals...otherwise we get no good result by working alone. I have never been rude to either you or your brother, so do me the favour and...no more fighting my father or anyone for that matter," she tried to reason with me but I looked her up and down. Unsure if she was begging me for something or threatening me.

"We'll talk when we find my brother, until then...whatever," I growled at her, confused with what she was asking of me. I climbed into the truck again and honked the horn repeatedly. Grabbing everyone's attention as I turned to look at the other two who were talking to Dale and Jim. "Come on, let's go!" I shouted to them, making them hurry towards me.

Stepping up to climb in the back, I saw Katherine stand up to get in, the step looked a little high for her, so I reached my hand reach out for her to take. She looked up at me surprised as I looked down at her. Taking it, I held on tightly as I strained my arm to help pull her up.

Looking up at me with those big blue eyes, she steadied to her feet, her gaze glued to me and that was when I realised I still held her hand. Instinctively I let go and wiped my hand against the back of my pants timidly. My eyes glued to the floor, in fear of looking up at her and saying something stupid.

"Thank you," she said quietly, sliding her own hand behind her back and walked deeper into the truck. Sliding my back, I saw he turn her back and looked to see everyone stood there watching us preparing to leave. Carl looking up at Katherine while Lori cried. This made me look away, down at my feet and sniffle as we got ready to leave.

When the door shut, I watched as Katherine slowly sat down on the floor opposite T-Dog and quickly averted my eyes when she saw me staring. She looked sad, like she was fighting back tears. She was being strong and courageous.

"Why'd you risk your life to help me find my brother?" I asked T-Dog as I cleaned my arrows. Looking up at him as I scanned his facial expressions to see if he was telling me the truth.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language," he said as he looked around at the different faces in the truck. I didn't know if I should take that as an insult or not.

"What 'bout you...Rick Grimes?" I asked and exaggerated his name again like I did before, Rick looked over his shoulder. The corner of his eye turning blue as he looked at me and then looked over to his daughter.

"Going back for your brother...It's the right thing to do, also...the father and son who saved me. I owe it to them," he tells us. Mostly me and his daughter as she gave him a small smile.

"What 'bout you, Chinaman?" I asked Glenn, who sighed, looked at me over his shoulder, slightly pissed off that I was being as racist as everyone wanted and believed me to be.

"I'm Korean. I'm doing this for Rick and his family...also for others at camp who will need that ammo," Glenn said as he continued to drive.

"Whatever," I said as Glenn finished his reason, my eyes were on my bolts as I cleaned them, checking to see if they were in good enough shape to use.

Cleaning my arrows, I then looked up at Katherine from under my lashes, her delicate, feminine features, small but womanly figure, her normally long brown curly hair that was now in a bun and bright blues looked down at the ground. "What 'bout you?" I asked her and her eyes flashed up to look at my face.

"What about me?" she questioned me. This made me tense up as I began to chew at the inside of my cheek to make me not say something stupid.

"Why are ya here? Rescuing Merle," I asked her and she just looked up at Rick and then back to me.

"To look after my Dad...but...also...a wise man once told me that, we never leave those we love and care for behind. That we always should do the right thing," she tells me and I just nod, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Better be ok. It's my own word on the matter," Daryl threatened T-Dog as he looked at him slightly threatening but not as much as he was before.

"I told you. The geeks can't get at him. Only thing is gonna get through that door is us," T-Dog said and this made me want to put an arrow in both their heads. _They said this before, why do they need to repeat themselves over and over again?_

"We'll walk from here," Glenn said as he put it on park, opening the doors Daryl and T-Dog climbed out. Getting up, I slipped on my bow and quiver, stepping out, I saw Daryl stood there waiting.

"Ain't got all day!" he told me as he held out his hand for me. This was when I saw my Dad reach around the corner. Stopping as he saw Daryl held out his hand for me to take again.

"I got this," my dad said as he went to pat Daryl's back but he flinched and quickly walked off. Mumbling a 'whatever' Daryl followed after the others. Dad grabbed onto my waist, helping me jump down and looked at me for a second. "Ready?" he asked me and I nod. "Keep close. Keep quiet," he instructs and I nod, jogging up to the others we kept jogging along the train tracks.

Stopping by a fence, clattering they cut open the fence and pulled it so we could step through it. "Merle first or guns?" Dad asked Glenn as we got though, jogging a little but slowing down as we had to make a choice.

"Merle!" Daryl all but shouted, rushing forward as he held onto his crossbow tightly. "We ain't even having this conversation," Daryl spat at my dad which made me glare at him. He noticed, rolled his eyes and looked away.

"We are," Dad growled at Daryl. "You know the geography. It's your call," Dad said as he looked to Glenn, pulling me close as we started to jog again.

"Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first," Glenn said as we all jogged towards the safe routes as Glenn lead us quietly to the quick and direct area that would lead us to the store.

As we got into the store, Dad walked ahead of us, stopped us and indicated to look over to where a walker was wandering. Passing me, Daryl crept up to it and raised his crossbow, examining her before he shot her. She growled at him and he just looked at her. "Damn...you are one ugly skank," Daryl insulted her as she saw him and shuffled closer to him. Shooting her right in the forehead, she fell to the ground with a solid thunk.

Pulling out his bolt, he wiped it on his pants and we continued to make our way up. Running up the stairs, we found that no walkers were there, that it was empty and when we broke the chain, we stepped out onto the roof...finding no Merle.

"Merle! Merle!" Daryl shouted out, unsure if his brother was maybe hiding around the corner or somewhere else. What we saw...shocked all of us. There on the pipe was the cuffs...bloody and with no Merle connected to it. My eyes widening, I saw what was left of Merle on the floor and gasped. Dad pulling my head to hide my face in his chest, as to not look at it.

"Don't look baby girl," Dad told me as he hushed me, I hadn't realised I was crying until I felt my dad's hand comforting me. His shirt getting soaked with my tears.

All I could hear was the crying and screaming of Daryl. "No! No! No! No! No!" he screamed as he shuffled around, crying at the fact his brother had sawed his hand off to get off the roof. To get away from the walkers.

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><p><strong>What do you think? Can I please have 5 reviews for this chapter? I have a lot of fun writing these chapters, I hope you like them! So...there has been a lot of character POV swapping, is there any you would like? Tell me in reviews or PMs! If I can get 5 reviews by Friday, I will post the next chapter! P.S FanFic's been really glitchy right now. Sorry if it doesn't look as neat as I would like it to be! <strong>

**Much love! **

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	4. Chapter 4: Trust

Chapter 4: Trust

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><p><strong>RPOV <strong>

_~12 years ago~_

_It had been hours since I hung up the phone to Shane, wandering the streets in search of my little girl. Worried for her safety and of her walking around in the cold. Hearing a car pull up, it's horn honking before it came to a stop by the street. It was cold, I was frozen and tense but I kept going. I needed to do, so I could find my daughter and take her home. _

_"Rick!" a familiar voice called to me, running to me I saw as Shane's brown eyes and muscular structure came towards me. His eyes sad as he stopped me, turning me to look at him but I just stared off into the distance, numb and slightly scared. "Rick...listen to me. You need to get back to the house, to Lori and Carl. You need to be there in case she comes back, I promise...I'll find her," Shane tells me and pats my cheek to make me agree._

_Nodding silently, I nod and follow him to the car, getting in and buckling up to wait patiently. We drove silently, pulling up I looked at the house and saw Lori at the door, her tears had stained her face and her hair was messy. She looked like a mess, as though she had been all but pulling her hair out of her head. _She's worried about Kat too...Lori needs me, but so does Kat...

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_I was walking for hours, some weird people were following me, so I ran and soon hid behind an abandoned house. Curled up and trying to get warm, rolled up into a ball, my back against the warm as I soon began to freeze. My body shivering, my breathing fogging into mists and disappearing into the dark sky. Tears ran down my cheeks as I let the fall to the cold floor._

_The sounds of cars parking and running scared me a little, my eyes shutting tightly as I heard the footsteps slow down and halt. Slowly opening my eyes, I looked up, tears pouring out the corners of my eyes and my heart was pounding. "Katherine," Shane whispered down at me as he slowly raised me to my feet._

_His hands gently placed on my arms. His eyes looking into mine as I shivered and froze in his hands. Picking me up, he carried me and used his free hand to reach into his pocket. "Rick?" Shane spoke into the phone as he gently wrapped me in a blanket and placed me in the car. "Yeah...I found her...be there in a few," he says and hangs up. Driving, I stayed silent and cried softly to myself._

_When we got there, Shane held my hand and we walked towards the door to my house. Scared and worried that my mommy and daddy would be mad at me for leaving. He knocked on the door and we waited seconds for it to open. Mommy and daddy looking at me with sad, scared, angry and relieved expressions._

_They said their thanks to Shane and pulled me into the house. Mommy was giving me kisses on every inch of my face as she crouched to my level. "Why did you leave us baby girl?" mommy asked me sadly as she rubbed at me arms, trying to warm me up._

_My bottom lip trembled as I didn't want to speak, knowing it would make them hate me. "You scared us Kitty Kat," Daddy said as he got to his knees in front of me. Tears started to run down my cheek as I looked down at the ground, ashamed of what I did and afraid of what they'd say. "Why did you leave baby?" Daddy asked me as he got a little closer, his eyes searching for mine and I just shut my eyes._

_Sighing, I looked up at them and frowned, tears running down my cheeks as I sniffled. "I-...you and mommy don't love me anymore," I tell them and this makes mommy's eyes go wide. Daddy looking at me sadly as he let his gaze drop to the ground._

_"Wha-what could possibly make you think that?!" mommy asked me confused, her voice panicked and scared. "Me and daddy love you very much. Forever and always baby...we love you so very much," mommy said as she wiped my tears, her own spilling from her eyes._

_"I-...you wouldn't play with me anymore, both of you are so...close to Carl that you forget about me and...I don't feel like you love me anymore," I tell them as my voice cracked and got muffled by my tears which made my daddy sniffle._

_Mommy went to speak but daddy cut her off, gently placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking his head. "I-...I'm going to go grab her some fresh and warm clothes," mommy said to daddy as she leaned to me and pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead, leaving me and daddy alone._

_"Baby girl...why would you think me and mommy don't love you?" daddy asked me as I got tucked in, a hot cup of cocoa and some chocolate chip cookies placed on a tray on my lap. Daddy sat next to me on the bed as we both pressed our backs on the walls. _

_"Carl's been getting so much love from the two of you that...I fell invisible and like you guys don't care about me anymore," I tell him honestly as I got a cookie and tried to snap it in half, chuckling Daddy took it from my hands and snapped it for me. Handing me them, I took one and left him with the other, taking the hint he took a bite out of his half as I nibbled on mine._

_"Baby girl...I have always loved you, I always will...same thing from mommy. She loves you very much too. She was so worried knowing you left and...baby girl...you need to stop with this kid stuff. I need you to know that we love you...I went out there, looking for you in the cold and worried more about you than myself," daddy said a little sadly, looking at my drink I was sad and took a hard swallow of the cookie I was eating._

_"I'm sorry daddy," I tell him quietly and he just places his arm around me, over my shoulders. Grabbing another cookie, I took a sip and strained until I snapped the cookie in half. Giving one slice to daddy and eating the other myself._

_"Kat...if there is anything I know in this world is...I love you. Mommy loves you and...the way you can tell is because we look after you, care for you and most of all...always remember this...today...I went out looking for you and...not only because it was the right thing to do but...because I love you...I couldn't just leave you behind," daddy said as he pointed to my cup of hot cocoa._

_"Can daddy have some of your drink?" he asked and I just give him a nod. Taking a sip, he gulped and looked down at me. "We never leave the ones we love and care about behind, always remember that because...the time will possibly come when you forget that and...I want you to remember this day...because if I didn't love you...we wouldn't have found you in the first place," daddy says as I nod and frown._

_Finishing my cookie, I leaned over and placed my head on his chest. Sighing he hugged me to him tightly, kissing the top of my head and resting his head on top of mine. My arms wrapped around his waist as I held him close to me. Whispering 'I'm sorry' to him again and he sighed. "Just...don't do it again baby girl...please," he whispers. _

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><p><strong>Present day...(LPOV) <strong>

Seeing my baby girl out there with her dad, preparing to go back to Atlanta was...heart-breaking. _She's grown up quicker than what I would have liked but...I can't help but feel pride and sorrow. If anything happens to either of them...I don't know what I would do. My daughter...my first born and my husband. _

As the truck left us, I had to turn my back to her as she waved me off. I felt like those mothers during the war sending their loved ones off to die. It frightened me, made me proud and sick with worry. Crying into my hand, as the truck drove away, I walked away to sit by the creek and cried to myself.

When I finally calmed down, I washed my face gently and dried my face with my shirt. Walking up to go find Carl who was sat in the tent, looking at our family album and sniffled. "Hey, you know...I bet they'll be just fine," I tell him as I sat beside him and shook him gently.

"I'm not worried. Are you?" Carl asked me as he turned slightly to look at me. His bright blue eyes looking up at me, giving me that same calm look both Kat and Rick give me.

"Yeah, a little," I admit as I think about it. Nodding, I rub at my arms as I replied to him. Thinking of the possibilities with them out there in Atlanta, of what could happen to either Rick or Kat. My heart pounding with slight fear and shock.

"Don't be," he tries to encourage, his eyes looking right up at me, unwavering and confident in his words. _He seems...so calm...like Kat and Rick. Just like them._

"Why?" I asked him confused as to why he would say such a thing. _I'm a mother and a wife...of course I'm going to worry baby boy._

"Think about it, mom. Everything that's happened to him so far...nothing's killed him yet. As for Kat, she's strong and smart. She knows how to handle herself, she'll be fine since she's with dad," Carl told me which made me nod. _I hope you're right baby boy...I hope you're right._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Letting me go, I wiped at my eyes and walked down to where they all were. Glenn's hand gently rubbed my back and saw as Daryl paced around angered. His body began to tense as he soon raised his crossbow up at T-Dog, mad. "I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it," Dad said as he quickly as lightning lifted up his gun and pressed it to Daryl's temple.

After Daryl relaxed himself, his bottom lip trembling and he slowly lowered his crossbow. "You ah...you got a do-rag or something?" Daryl asked T-Dog as dad lowered his gun and watched T-Dog reach into one of his pockets, pulling out a blue cloth from it and passing it to Daryl slowly.

Daryl shook the cloth out, placed his crossbow to one side and walked to the hand. Getting on his knees, he picked up the hand and began to inspect it. "I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs. Ain't that a bitch," he said as he gently laid the hand down and enveloped it with the rag.

Waving to Glenn, he moved to put the hand in the backpack and went to pick up his crossbow. "He must have used a tourniquet maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't," Daryl said as he inspected the amount of blood and the scenery. My dad ushering me to get next to him, gently moving me to follow behind him, I followed dad as we rushed down a pair of stairs that led somewhere else.

"Merle? You in here?" Daryl called down the stairs, Dad checked over the walls to look down and we all ran down the stairs. T-Dog and Glenn following closely behind me as I had my bow ready, in case of any walkers along the way down or for when we got there.

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><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"Dale. Have you seen Carl?" I asked up at Dale, I had left Carl to be looked after Dale. That he was to be in Dale's sight at all times and that I was going to go help the camp out by getting wood for the fire. Looking up to the elder man, a hand raised to block the sun and make my vision better than what it was with the sun shinning in my eyes.

"Shane took him down to the quarry. There was some mighty bold talk about catching frogs," Dale told me as I clenched my jaw after a few seconds of it hanging open. Putting the wood down, I wandered towards the two who were by the rocks, catching frogs. Carl looked like he was having fun but I had to stop this before Shane thought he was let off the hook for what happened.

Huffing, I walked towards the two, Carl listening in to what Shane was saying as they spoke hushed. "Hey, Carl...what did I tell you about not leaving Dale's sight?" I questioned Carl as he looked up at me innocently, unsure of what was happening between us all.

"But Shane said we could catch frogs, remember?" Carl told me as he tried to remind me of a conversation we had early that now meant nothing to me. _This man has done us a horrible thing. Telling us your father was dead..._

"It doesn't matter what Shane says. It matters what I say. Go on back to camp," I said hinting a little at the lie he had given us months ago, lying to us about the whole situation, opening and closing my hand as I had my arm stretched out, telling Carl to come over to where I was.

Sighing, he walked past me and I gently pressed the palm of my hand to Carl's head as he walked up, leaving me and Shane stood there by the rocks. "I'll be right behind you," I tell him as he walked off. When he was out of earshot, I turned to glare at Shane.

"I've got to tell you, I do not think you should be taking this out on him," he said as I walked behind Carl, moving as far away from Shane as I continued to walk and left him there by the rocks.

"You don't tell me what to do. You lost that privilege," I told him as I kept moving, never turning my back to him but I then heard splashing of water, which told me he was getting out of the water and was walking towards me.

"Lori, could you just wait up a second? I think we should talk. We haven't had a chance-," he tried to talk, pressing my lips tightly together, I turned around and looked at him. Waving my hand and repeatedly telling him 'no'.

"No. No no. That's over too. You can tell that to the frogs," I told him as I went to turn my back and walk away from him for good.

"Damn it, Lori. Look, I don't know how it appears to you, or what you think-" he went to continue to speak, but this just made me turn around and walk up to him. Angered that he would want to continue this conversation further.

"How it appears to me? I'm sorry. Is there a gray area here? Let me dispel it. You stay away from me. You stay away from my son and daughter. You don't look at them. You don't talk to them. From now on, my family is off-limits to you," I told as I counted my rules on one hand, his head shaking as he sighed, his hands resting on his hips.

"Lori, I don't think that's fair," he went to defend himself, this just made my anger boil. Rushing to him I got as close as I could and shoved him.

"Shane, shut up. Don't!" I growled at him as I reached him, shoving him forcefully.

"I don't think that-" he went to continue, bumping into his chest, I made sure he would get the point. He wouldn't look me in the eye as he spoke.

"My husband is back. He is alive," I stated, emphasising every word as I spoke. Hoping he would get the point and leave us alone. That what we had once...was gone and would never return.

"He's my best friend. Do you think I'm not happy about that?" he asked me as I walked away, making me turn around at him, surprised he would even ask me this question.

"How dare you? Why would you be? You are the one that told me...told my _daughter_ that he died! You son of a bitch," I spat at him as I sighed the last part, walking away and leaving him there to tell the frogs of his sorrow. Not caring about him for a single second more.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Reaching down the stairs we walked through a hall that lead to an office, seeing a walker stood there, it turned to growl at us and Daryl quickly shot it in the head with his bolt. Dad walked beside Daryl as I edged behind them in the middle. When we got into a bigger room, we saw two walkers dead on the ground.

"Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches. One handed," Daryl commented as he looked down at the two walkers. "Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother," Daryl spoke as he leaned down to pull an arrow back into his crossbow, my eyes glued to his arms and when I saw my dad turn to look at me, I quickly looked away and back down at the walkers.

"Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails," Daryl said, the way his arms had flexed and his muscles tensed...made me a little dazed as I looked away and licked my lips. My mouth slightly dry as I walked towards the walkers to investigate them, Dad getting his gun at the ready as he walked in the same direction we believed Merle was heading.

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is," Dad commented which made me nod, it was known that was to happen. Only logic. _For what it's worth...I hope Daryl finds his brother, or a sign that he is alive and well..._

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><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

During the past few hours, Shane had punched Ed's face in for hitting Carol, Jim had been digging under the sunlight, Kat and Rick hadn't come back, Amy caught some fish with Andrea and Jim was now tied to a tree. Things had been crazy, some good moments but a lot of bad ones too. The only good things were that we now had some fish to the menu and Morales had found some more rocks to go around the fire. Allowing for us to be warmer but that no one could see us from a distance.

Jim sat tied to a tree, under the shade and cool breeze as we helped our kids with homework. Carol was sat by Sophia while Carl was sat beside me. Shane had come over to give Jim some water, watering his head, talking about letting Jim loose and about cooling down.

"Sorry if I scared your boy and your little girl," Jim said to me and Carol, looking to him, I smiled and allowed Carol to continue what she was doing with Sophia.

"You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you," I tell him kindly, hopeful as to him getting better and not to feel guilty about it. We didn't know what caused this sudden outburst of digging in Jim but, it happened and it was in the past now.

"You're not scared now, are you?" Jim questioned little Sophia as he looked at her.

"No sir," she answered which made Carol lean over and kiss the top of her daughter's head in comfort and slight pride. _That was the same look I would give my little Kat...my kitten. My little baby girl...god...I hope she's alright, that they're both alright._

"Your mama's right. Sun just cooked my head is all," Jim said as he looked at Carl, who was looking up at Jim from under his lashes, trying to concentrate on his work but getting distracted by Jim's obvious conversation.

"Jim, do you know why you were digging? Can you say?" I heard Dale ask in the distance at Jim.

"I had a reason. Don't remember. Something I dreamt last night," Jim answered up at Dale. "Your dad and sister were in it," Jim said to Carl, who looked at him interested in what Jim had to say. "You were too. You were worried about them. Can't remember the rest. You worried about your dad and sister?" he questioned Carl as he sat there against the tree.

"They're not back yet," Carl spoke softly, his mind off the homework and drawn to the man against the tree. He seemed so confused, worried but...calm. It made me wonder how he couldn't just tell me what was going through his mind.

"We don't need to talk about that," I quickly ended the conversation between him and my son, rubbing Carl's arm comforting. _Trying hard not to think about the possibilities my baby girl and husband are going through is difficult enough. I don't need a man I have pity for asking my boy about his father and sister._

"Your dad's a police officer, son. He helps people. Probably just came across some folks needing help, that's all. That man and girl, they're tough as nails.  
>I don't know him well but I could see it in him...in her too," Jim said to both me and Carl. More to Carl than me. "Am I right?" Jim asked up at Shane.<p>

"Oh yeah," Shane agreed before he sighed and was stood upright. Looking down at Jim as he answered.

"There ain't nothing gonna stop them from getting back here to you and your mom, I promise you that," Jim said reassuringly, but this made me frown at the thought. _He could be giving us false hope, what if they don't get back? What if either of them show up without the other? What would we do?_

"All right. Who wants to help me clean some fish, huh?" Shane asked as he went to pick up the bucket he had brought over.

"Sweet. Come on, Sophia!" Carl called out excitedly, following after Shane as he walked off with the bucket and Sophia ran after Carl.

"Stay with Carol, all right?" I told Carl as she got up and followed the kids towards the fish. I walked over to Jim to crouch in front of him. I was going to tell him off about possibly giving my son false hope and to offer my condolences about his family.

"You keep your boy and girl close. You don't ever let him or her out of your sight," Jim warned me the moment I was about to open my mouth. He looked at me straight in the eyes, keeping his stare, I shut my mouth and nod. Getting up, I walked after the kids and watched as they learnt how to clean fish to cook them.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Merle!" Daryl called out dumbly to his brother, possibly alerting us to walkers if there were any around, lurking inside the halls and soon attempting to get a grab of us.

"We're not alone here. Remember?" Dad warned him, getting closer to Daryl as he tried to whisper in his ear, authority in his tone and slight threat to his manner of questioning Daryl.

"Screw that. He could be bleeding out. You said so yourself," Daryl told reasoned as he wandered into the kitchen, following behind them, we saw that the stove was on. The fire still burning as we got closer, dad picked up something, blood and the belt was beside the stove.

"What's that burned stuff?" I asked him, confused as to what was happening, he looked down at the thing in his hand and then back up at the four of us.

"Skin. He cauterized the stump," Dad said slowly, unsure on how to explain to us what he did. Hissing, I covered my mouth and turned away, swallowing hard the information I had just taken in.

"Told you he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle," Daryl said as he looked my dad up and down, Dad turned to gently caress my back and sighed. Shutting my eyes tightly, I turned back around and smiled at him.

"I'm fine just...how could he do this to himself? Put himself in so much pain just...to not wait. He couldn't be patient?" I asked them, more to myself than anyone else. My gaze only focused on the skin that was now stuck to the piece of metal that he used to heat up.

"Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood," Dad said to Daryl as he spoke of Merle being immortal to life dangers when it came to blood loss. Especially with a cut like this.

"Yeah? Didn't stop him from busting out of this death trap," Daryl said as he continued to walk, following the blood and seeing the smashed window a few steps away from the kitchen.

"He left the building?" Glenn asked shocked, all of us trying to get a peek out of the window. "Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn asked which was a little stupid to ask. _If Merle got this far...he would of pushed even further, just like anyone else would._

"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone as far as he knows, doing what he's got to do...surviving," Daryl said as he began to walk out towards another exit, Dad poked his head out the window to see if there was anyone out there, any walkers or even Merle.

"You call that surviving? Just wandering out in the streets, maybe passing out?" I questioned him as he turned to looked at me, his eyes looking me up and down as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. "What are his odds out there?" I ask him and he just walks closer to me, glaring at the men behind me.

"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by these sorry pricks," he said as he pointed around the three men around me. Making me bite down on my tongue, seeing as he had just insulted my dad and I just glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest angrily.

"You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard," Daryl said as he got closer to my dad, getting close to his face as he looked my dad right in the eyes. This made me inhale deeply, biting my tongue as I watched my dad get closer, sizing himself and straightening himself. Puffing up his chest to show who was the alpha male.

"What about 1,000 dead dumb bastards? Different story?" Dad questioned Daryl as he got closer, Daryl's eyes were probably looking my dad up and down distastefully. As he normally would do about anyone else.

"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him," Daryl said as he was going to head out, to go and find his brother and this was when my dad moved on instinct.

"Daryl, wait," Dad said as he pushed Daryl back with one rough hand, Daryl stumbling back as he almost bumped into me. My hands going out to block him, steadying him and feeling his muscles, his entire body tense under my fingers. He moved forward to glare at dad.

"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me," he growled at dad, who just stood there, blocking Daryl's passage to finding his brother. Getting close to Daryl's face as he saw Daryl glare at him.

"I don't blame you. He's family...I get that. I went through hell to find mine," Dad said as he looked briefly behind Daryl to look at me. "I know exactly how you feel," he said as his eyes wandered back to Daryl's. "He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head," Dad tried to instruct the redneck as Daryl looked at dad directly in the eyes.

"I could do that," Daryl agreed, being cooperative and understanding, making the corner of my lips play a small smile. Slowly showing as I saw dad look behind Daryl and at me. My eyes showing dad that I was proud that they were working together, as a team.

"Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?" T-Dog spoke up as Dad's eyes drifted to the others, T-Dog trying to reason as we all walked towards a room we knew was safe. Closing it up and all of us sat on the ground. Hearing Glenn's idea and processing the ways the situation could go. Where things could go wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"You're not doing this alone," Rick said as he stood over Glenn, his hands on his hips as Glenn began to explain what we were to do. As to how his plan was going to work.

"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much," I admit to the Chinaman as I looked at the four of them. Kat was sat on the ground, on her knees as she looked at Glenn's drawn out plan.

"It's a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out," Glenn tried to reason, making a drawing of the area and using random objects in the room to make routes. Rick crouching down to get a better listen and eye contact with Glenn. "If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast. Look. That's the tank, five blocks from where we are now," Glenn said as he placed another object on the board we were using.

"That's the bag of guns," he said as he placed a piece of scrunched up paper next to the object. "Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met. That's where Daryl, Kat and I will go," he said pointing to a place on the map he had made for himself more than me. Kat nodding, she briefly glanced up at her dad. _She looks so...fuck!_ Looking back at Glenn, she had moved her eyes to look at me. _Staring at her will just make you look like a creep._

"Why us?" I ask Glenn, trying to engage with the conversation again. He looked between me, Kat and Rick, as though he wanted to have agreement. Especially from Rick, who was putting his daughter at risk, just by separating them from each other.

"Your crossbow and her compound bow are quieter than his gun," he said as he looked between us. Giving Rick a small smile as he then looked back down at the plan. "While Daryl and Kat wait here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag," he said as he placed another thing. _How many things is he going to use for one fucking thing?!_

"You got us elsewhere?" Rick asked him, unsure of what was happening and Glenn just smiled as he gulped and got back to explaining. Seeing that Rick was in no mood to be friendly right now, considering his daughter was going to be left alone with me.

"You and T-Dog, right. You'll be in this alley here," Glenn said as he placed an eraser on the map, pointing it as them.

"Two blocks away? Why?" Rick asked questioningly, his voice shaking a little as he spoke. His eyes drifting back up at his daughter who was watching Rick curiously. Her own eyes filled with wonder. _Those blue eyes...that soft, pale face...and those gentle reddish pink lips..._

"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off," Glenn tried to explain further. "If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl and Kat. I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me. Afterwards, we'll all meet back here," he explained, Kat, Rick and T-Dog nodding in agreement, all seeming to understand exactly what was happening.

"Hey, kid**,** what'd you do before all this?" I asked him, curious as to how well he knew this and how he was so 'fast'. Glenn looked up at me shyly, his eyes looking at me just as curiously as I spoke.

"Delivered pizzas. Why?" Glenn asked me as I give him a nod, approving of the fact he was a delivery boy. _It's normal for pizza boys to be fast, considering some crazy fuckers that would order and are possibly still alive._ We were getting ready to leave, as I went to pick up my crossbow, I felt a hand drag me to one side. It was Rick.

"Can I trust you with my daughter's life?" he asked me, looking me directly in the eyes, his looked like they would kill me if anything happened to her. If I said no...I didn't want to know what he would do or say.

"I'll try...but...I don' need ta' promise ya nothin'," I tell him and he just clenches his jaw, possibly unhappy by my words but...it had to count as something. _They didn't look out for my brother, why should I look out for some...girl?_

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

We had got ready, dad took Daryl to talk to him privately, doing up my shoe lace I walked up to dad and he wrapped his arms around me tightly. "Be careful baby girl. I love you," he whispered to me, placing a delicate kiss on my cheek before I told him I loved him back. That he was to look after himself too. When we were ready, Glenn climbed down first, Daryl following after and then I was the last to go down the ladder.

Daryl and I ran towards the alley, Glenn following close behind. "You got some balls for a Chinaman," Daryl said as he readied his crossbow, pulling out an arrow from my quiver as I aimed to check if it was in place, Glenn sighed and threw a cloth behind himself.

"I'm Korean," Glenn told us, as he threw the cloth, I caught it and dropped it behind me. He began to run, Daryl further fixed up his crossbow and Glenn began to run towards the bags quietly but quickly.

"Whatever," Daryl said as he placed the bolt in position, he pointed to the trashcan as I slowly lowered myself beside him, waiting for Glenn's return as I silently sat. Both of us trying not to get spotted by any walkers.

Suddenly, we heard quiet footsteps, Daryl nudged me with his elbow and readied his crossbow, my arrow in place as we jumped out on the thing that we thought was a walker. "Whoa, don't shoot me! What do you want?" a boy in a wife beater, silver chain, short hair cut and very scrawny structure said.

"I'm looking for my brother. He's hurt real bad. You seen him?" Daryl questioned the boy, the boy looked startled but didn't seem to stop moving, instead he got closer and stood up straighter. Daryl's crossbow raised, aiming at his head, my bow up lazily as I aimed, unsure if this boy was a threat or not.

"Ayúdame!" the boy screamed for help in Spanish. Making Daryl thrust his crossbow a little, my grip tightening on my bow and arrow as I got a little further behind.

"Shut up! You're gonna bring the geeks down on us. Answer me!" Daryl commanded but the boy didn't answer Daryl, instead we both stood there, his crossbow up and my bow up, aiming directly at the boy's head. "Answer me," Daryl demanded.

"Daryl...this boy is calling for help," I tell him. Daryl looked at me from the corner of his eye, then the boy decided to scream again a couple more times. Annoying Daryl further.

"Ayúdame! Ayúdame!" the boy screamed again, behind us and this was when Daryl hit the boy down, the boy falling onto his back as Daryl went to cover his mouth with his hand. The boy struggling underneath him as he wriggled around, trying to pry Daryl's hands off.

"Shut up," Daryl growled, but this was when I heard running, my bow up in a flash, turning to them but then getting punched square in the jaw. Groaning in pain, I looked up to see Daryl getting hit with a bat, the other guy picked me up by my hair as he dragged me backwards.

"That's it! That's the bag, Vato! Take it! Take it!" the one who was hitting Daryl constantly said to the one who was hitting me. As the man pulled me, he gripped my hair tightly and threw me against the trash, metal hitting my side as I held in my scream of pain.

"Get off me!" Glenn screamed as the attacked him, one of them was going to pick up the gun but instead, I felt a sudden grip around my waist and around my chest. Dragging me along with them, I kept punching the one who held me and wriggled as much as I could.

"Get off me! Let me go!" I screamed as they turned around, opening the gates as they pulled me out where a car and walkers were waiting. Wriggling, the guy moved his hand away from my chest and over my mouth. Finding my strength, I bit down hard, hearing a scream come from him, he dropped me and limped to the car. An arrow in his ass as he limped, walkers began to surround me.

"Kat!" I could hear two pairs of voices call for me, grabbing my machete, I started to slice walkers, seeing gun shots begin to fire as I saw my dad rush to me, grabbing my waist, he pulled me in and grabbed my face.

"Kat...are you okay?" he asked me, worried as he checked me for scratches and bites. Holding back my tears, I nod my head and wiped at my mouth and teeth. Dad then looked to Daryl who first pushed the boy but then stopped, Daryl looked to me and then back at the boy angered.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Stop it!" Dad screamed at Daryl as he grabbed him and pushed him back, trying to keep him away from the boy as the boy was held against the wall by T-Dog.

"I'm gonna kick your nuts up in your throat!" Daryl screamed at the boy threateningly.

"Let me go," the boy screamed at T-Dog, the boy struggling under T-Dog's restrain.

"Chill out!" T-Dog demanded of the boy, his eyes wide as he watched Daryl struggle and try and push past my dad.

"They took Glenn and almost took Kat! That little bastard and his little bastard homie friends. I'm gonna stomp your ass!" Daryl screamed at the boy angered, dad fighting for control of Daryl as neither of them stopped moving.

"Guys! Guys! We're cut off!" I screamed, trying to get their attention as the gates began to slam behind me. They all began to follow me as I lead them to the ladders, the boy following me up, T-Dog after the boy, then Daryl and dad last.

"Nice ass bonita," the boy said which earned him a glare as I looked down at him, T-Dog grabbing the boy's foot, making him scream and my dad question what was going on 'up there'.

"Don't look up at the sheriff's daughter's ass, or you might just have a tough time from all of us," T-Dog threatened and I hadn't heard a word from the boy since we got into the lab as dad had instructed, planning our next move as the boy sat on a chair. Daryl pacing around as we saw that Glenn had left his backpack in the room.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"Those men you were with, we need to know where they went," Rick asked as he leaned against a desk, looking at the boy as he asked him kindly where Glenn was.

"I ain't telling you nothing," the boy said as he sat there lazily, T-Dog was hunched over, bending over a table as he watched the boy and Rick talk.

"Jesus, man. What the hell happened back there?" T-Dog asked me, unsure and curious as to how it got to this shit hole of a situation.

"I told you, this little turd and his douche bag friends came out of nowhere and jumped us," I tell him, pointing to both me and Kat, who was sitting on top of the desk beside her father.

"You're the one who jumped me, puto, screaming about trying to find his brother like it's my damn fault," the boy said which made me look at him angered, I couldn't stop pacing, worrying as to where Glenn was.

"There is no need to call him a bastard in Spanish, the insult is just stupid because he doesn't know what you mean and I do," Kat said as she tilted her head at him. During the fight, her hair had fallen out a little, her once in a neat bun hair was now in a slight mess. Her curls were now up in a pony tail, her curls long and luxuriously thick but silky soft.

"Whatever you say baby," the boy said with a wink and Kat just slipped off the table, bent down to his level, glared at him and bared her teeth. She didn't look pleased with what the boy said to her. I had stopped my pacing, to see what would happen between them and kept my eyes on them.

"I am not your baby...next time you call me that...I'll knock your teeth out. Got it?" she asked him and he just kissed his teeth. Turning his face away and looking her up and down from the corner of his eye. "Also...officer friendly here is my father," she states as she pointed to Rick who was behind her. Rick's jaw had clenched at the boy's flirtation but he shrugged it off, unamused at how the boy spoke to his daughter.

_He's trying to be the good man and keep a level head. He's not punching this guy's face in for being such a dick to his daughter. She is strong though...and very independent, she can also get herself out of trouble...barely even needed me back there. All I did was shoot the guy in the ass for trying to escape with her.. _

"They took Glenn. Could have taken Merle too," I say as I continued to pace around, looking at the boy as I kept turning and walking back and forth.

"Merle? What kind of hick name is that? I wouldn't name my dog Merle," he insulted and this made my blood boil, rushing towards him, I went to go kick the boy in the face but Rick pushed me back and Kat got to her feet, following her dad's actions.

"Damn it, Daryl," Rick growled at me, trying to push me as far away from the boy. Kat got in the way and pushed my foot down, what she did next made me move away from her as quickly as you could say 'hello'.

"Back off," Kat told me kindly as she placed her hand on my chest and pushed me back a few meters. Her body facing me as she looked up at me with those blue eyes of hers. _She has her father and brother's eyes. So bright and...pretty._

"Want to see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?" I asked the boy as I went to Glenn's bag, pulling out the cloth, Kat's eyes watching my every move and walked to the boy. Throwing Merle's hand on the boy's lap as he screamed, jumped back and out of the chair, his back hitting the wall. "Start with the feet this time," I said as I grabbed him by the clothing of his wife beater.

Rick pulled me back, making me stand next to Kat as she quickly moved in front of me and blocked me from the boy's view. "The men you were with took our friend. All we want to do is talk to them, see if we can work something out," Rick tried to negotiate, crouching down to the boy's level, trying to friendly without losing his patience.

The boy finally told us all we needed to know and led us to where they were safe. Where they would keep Glenn. Rick shook something, earning a noise in return. "You sure you're up for this?" Rick asked Kat and T-Dog.

"Yeah," Kat answered softly at her dad, a sniper rifle in both her hands and T-Dog's. T-Dog gave Rick a quick nod of his head as he picked up the bag of guns.

"Okay," Rick nodded as he looked up at his daughter, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek, he reached up and gripped her hair, kissing her cheek in return before he let her go and climb up to the other side, opposite T-Dog.

"One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass...just so you know," I growled at him, making sure he wouldn't try and pull any wise ass moves on either of us.

"G's gonna take that arrow out of my ass and shove it up yours. Just so _you_ know," the boy threatened me back. Rick looking at the boy confused.

"G?" Rick asked curiously, unsure as to what that was meant to mean.

"Guillermo. He's the man here," the boy said as he looked down at the ground and then back up at us.

"Okay then. Let's go see Guillermo," Rick said as he locked and loaded his gun, getting ready for anything that could go down and walked through an opened window that lead into a small clearing, the walls were up but there was no ceiling.

We walked the boy and I gently pushed him through the window, climbing in and checking to see if anyone was around, about to jump us or kill us. When we stopped, the doors slowly opened to reveal a...small man.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"You sure you're up for this?" dad asked me after he shook something which made a noise in return, some sort of signal I didn't know about and this was when I looked at dad.

"Yeah," I answered him, my nerves were driving me crazy but I knew I had to do this...if I wanted to get Glenn back and we would. Glenn is a nice guy. He is a good member of the group back at camp and here.

"Okay," he told me, leaning down I gave dad a kiss on the cheek, he gently gripped my hair and kissed my cheek in return. Holding on tightly to my rifle, I placed it over my body and to rest on my back as I ran to the opposite side T-Dog went to. Climbing as quietly and agile as I could.

Hiding by a small wall, I perched my arm up to be able to aim my rifle perfectly. Seeing my dad climb over a window, all of them slowly making their way to a door and watching it open. "You okay, little man?" the man asked as he walked towards my father and Daryl with the boy in front of them.

"They're gonna cut off my feet, carnal," the boy said to the man in front of him, he still seemed shocked and surprised that he was threatened by Daryl. That he got to see Merle's hand.

"Cops do that?" the man asked my dad, tilting his head to one side to look at dad.

"Not him. This redneck puto here. He cut off some dude's hand, man. He showed it to me," the boy said which made me roll my eyes. _Daryl shouldn't have done that but...it did make us get some answers._

"Shut up," Daryl growled but then another man...one of them that tried to take me walked forward. It was the one who grabbed me. He had a limp in his walk as he moved.

"Hey, that's that Vato right there, homes. He shot me in the ass with an arrow. What's up, homes, huh?" the one said as he walked out, grabbing his pistol to point and ready it at Daryl.

"Chill, ese, chill. Chill," the man said as he calmed the guy with the gun. Slowly he lowered the guy's gun and looked at my dad and Daryl seriously. "This true? He wants Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick, man," he asked them, disgusted by the whole fake threat Daryl did to make the boy speak.

"We were hoping more for a calm discussion," my dad tries to reason, hoping it could calm the man more and allow for there to be a discussion. Not a gun war.

"That hillbilly jumps Felipe's little cousin, beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet, Felipe gets an arrow in the ass and you want a calm discussion?" he asked my dad. All dad could do was look around a little, unsure how to carry on this conversation. "You fascinate me," the man said slightly teasingly.

"Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides," dad tried to reason again, always coming up with excuses and reasons for actions that take place.

"Who's that dude to you anyway? You don't look related," the man asked as he looked at Daryl. Daryl was moving around a little, crossbow in hand and dad with a shotgun in his hands.

"He's one of our group, more or less. I'm sure you have a few like him," dad tried to explain, trying to make an excuse for Daryl's behaviour. As though we had to put up with him, rather than allow him to provide meat for us and silent safety.

"You got my brother in there?" Daryl asked as he tried to get a peek inside through th doors.

"Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys. But I've got Asian. You interested?" he asked as he would tilt his head from side to side. Looking at both Daryl and dad in the eye.

"I have one of yours, you have one of mine. Sounds like an even trade," dad tried to negotiate, trying to make things as equal as possible for both sides.

"Don't sound even to me," the man said as he looked at my dad.

"G. Come on, man," Miguel said as he looked at the man pleadingly.

"My people got attacked. Where's the compensation for their pain and suffering? More to the point, where's my bag of guns?" 'G' said as he tried to get more than he bargained for. _Our guns? They're not his! Also...guns aren't part of the deal. Glenn is. Boy for boy._

"Guns?" dad asked 'G' confused, his face not changing, just his tone of voice as he tilted his head a fraction to question the man.

"The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns," the man tried to jog dad's memory, but dad knew exactly what they meant.

"You're mistaken," dad tells them bluntly.

"I don't think so," the man replied quickly.

"About it being yours. It's my bag of guns," dad states, his voice dark and possessive. 'G' took a few steps back.

"The bag was in the street. Anybody could come around and say it was theirs. I'm supposed to take your word? What's to stop my people from unloading on you right here and now and I take what's mine?" the man threatened as they all raised their weapons.

"You could do that. Or not," dad said as both he and Daryl shuffled on the spot, their grips on their weapons were equally tight.

"Please...let Glenn go. Let us go," I whisper begged as they looked up and round, noticing both me and T-Dog on the roof, getting a good and clear shot on their heads.

"Oye," the man called which made us see Glenn on the roof, a bag was over his head until they took it off to reveal his scared face. Glenn was gagged, dad looked up and then down a little stunned. "I see two options," G started. "You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks...or you come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood," he gave us the options, slowly they backed away and the others went back inside.

Dad looked up at me as he backed up, our eyes meeting for a second before I went towards the edge of the wall, slowly sliding down and moving the gun to rest on my back. I began to climb down, careful and cautious, that was until I felt firm hands around my waist as I was almost to the floor. Looking over my shoulder, I saw it was T-Dog and relaxed a little. "Don't want you hurt," he tells me and as I got down, I smiled kindly at him.

* * *

><p>"Them guns are worth more than gold. Gold won't protect your family or put food on the table. You're gonna give that up for that kid?" Daryl questioned my father as we all gathered around the table, dad was putting all the ammo in the guns, as much as he could and made sure each and ever gun was stocked. I helped him load the guns silently.<p>

"If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree...but you think that Vato across the way is just gonna hand him over?" T-Dog asked dad as I didn't bother to look up at them and watched as dad stopped to witness T-Dog's doubt.

"You calling G a liar?" the boy Miguel claimed as we all stopped to look at the boy who was slumped, sitting on the ground lazily.

"Are you a part of this? You want to hold onto your teeth?" Daryl growled at the boy as he got closer and slapped him upside the head.

"Question is, do you trust that man's word?" T-Dog asked dad but this made me sigh, not focusing on them and just on filling the guns with every bullet we could.

"No, question is what are you willing to bet on it? Could be more than them guns. Could be your life. Glenn worth that to you?" Daryl questioned my dad's motives, dad slipped his python in his holster and looked up at Daryl who was leaning against the wall behind me.

"What life I have I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could have walked away, but he didn't," Dad said as he looked at me from under his lashes, it made me look down and nod. "Neither will I," he tells all of us, his eyes glancing around the other men and stopping on me.

"So you're gonna hand the guns over?" Daryl questioned my dad, I didn't want to say anything but Daryl and T-Dog were starting to push my buttons. Pursing my lips dad looked at me and shook his head.

"I didn't say that. There's nothing keeping you three here," he said as he looked down at the bag of guns, fiddling around and checking them. This made me slam down the gun I was fixing, looking at dad right in the eye as I leaned into him to do so.

"No way dad! I'm not going anywhere, I'm not going back without you! I told you...I'm going to keep you safe...and if you're going back for Glenn...then...so will I. It's the right thing to do," I tell him and he just looks up at me, listening to my words but ignoring me all the same.

"You should get out, head back to camp. _All_ of you," he said but this made me step away from him, tears were forming in my eyes and he just looked at me saddened.

"And tell mom and Carl what? I told you dad...and I'm serious. I'm with you. No matter what," I tell him, keeping my voice and posture straight. Strong. I was proving a point and I wasn't going to back down.

"Come on, this is nuts. Just do like G says," the boy said as T-Dog and Daryl reached into the bag of guns and grabbed a shotgun each. Taking my own, dad leaned over the table and kissed my forehead. His fingers slipping into my hair so I couldn't escape.

"How did you become a woman so fast?" he asked me and I laughed, shaking my head and preparing some other guns, all of us helping out and getting ready for what was to happen.

* * *

><p>We made it back to the same place we first met them. Having the boy walk ahead, gagged, dad and Daryl were at the front, me and T-Dog followed behind. The doors opened and we got into position as we slowly stepped inside to find at least more than a dozen men. "I see my guns but they're not all in the bag," G said as Daryl and T-Dog walked to the right, while I stood to my dad's left.<p>

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that," dad tried to remind them as he held his gun up, all of us were at the ready, my finger on the trigger and my mind bouncing around as I shuffled away from some men who were looking at me in a way I didn't like.

"Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese. All right? Unload on their asses, ese," one of the men, the one who had grabbed me and got shot in the ass with Daryl's bow said. He got close to G to try and convince him, almost whispering in his ear but making it obvious.

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation," the man said as he looked at each of us, as though we were crazy and that we were going to possibly die.

"No, I'm pretty clear. You have your man. I want mine," dad said as he lowered his gun and pulled out his knife, cutting off the rope that held the boy's hands together behind his back. Dad pushed the boy towards the group the boy belonged to and then placed his knife back to where he had it.

"I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. They're the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale," G said as he edged closer to my dad. This made me grip the gun a little tighter, Daryl's eyes looking at me from the corners as I glared directly at G.

"I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?" G asked dad after a few seconds, he was too close to be able to call any of it comforting. I stepped up closer to dad, my aiming was directly to G's head.

"No, my hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded. Okay then, we're here," dad said as he raised his gun, a bunch of clicking sounds meaning there was about to be a gun war, all of us aiming at any possible threat.

"Felipe! Felipe!" we all stood there for a few minutes silence, as we all stared each other down, wondering who would shoot first and I was surprised to see an elder lady walk towards us.

"Abuela, go back with the others now," the man who had grabbed me before as he looked over his shoulder at the elder lady, she was looking up at him with desperation and a gentle...kindness.

"Get that old lady out of the line of fire!" Daryl screamed which made me glare at him from the corner of my eyes. _It's rude to call her an old lady. She's an older adult for Christ's sake!_

"Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay? This is the not the place for you right now," G said as he looked over his shoulder at the elder lady and she just ignored G, looking up at Felipe with gentle worry.

"Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff. Carlitos didn't find it. He needs his medicine," the woman said as he spoke with a thick accent, it was hard to tell what she was saying as she stuttered, unsure of what to say but then noticed us with our guns. Her eyes landing on my dad.

"Felipe, go take care of it, okay? And take your grandmother with you," G demanded to the man, Felipe lowered his gun slowly and looked to the woman. He tried to move her towards the exit but her eyes looked at each of us.

"Abuela! Ven conmigo por favor" Felipe pleaded gently as he saw the old woman resist the need to be pulled by her grandson.

"Who are those men and that young lady?" the woman said as she scanned each of our faces, her eyes glued to my dad as she possibly noticed his uniform.

"Por favor, ven conmigo," Felipe asked again as his grandmother walked towards us, stopping in front of my dad as he lowered the gun slowly.

"Don't you take him," the elder woman demanded of my dad, as though he was going to steal him away from her. _Well...we almost did kill her grandson...we would have taken his life if she hadn't walked into the room._

"Ma'am?" dad asked her confused, I slowly lowered my gun and watched as she got closer, carefully I stepped closer to stand by my dad's side.

"Felipe's a good boy. He have his trouble but he pull himself together. We need him here," the woman said gently, kindly and rolled her 'r's which made me smile. _I find her accent...endearing._

"Ma'am, I'm not here to arrest your grandson," dad tried to clear up the issue and she looked up at my dad unsure of what our purpose of us being here was for.

"Then what do you want him for?" the woman asked us as her eyes looked at my dad with pure curiosity.

"He's..." dad spoke but he didn't find the words to say. This was when I got an idea...

"Helping us find a missing person. Guy named Glenn," I tell her kindly, keeping my voice as soft as her and sweet. She smiled at me brightly, the wrinkles in her eyes creasing as she looked at me.

"The Asian boy? He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come. Come, I show you. He needs his medicine," she said as she took both me and dad by the hand, placing the gun in one hand as I gently held onto the elder woman's hand carefully.

"Let 'em pass," G told his men as they slowly made a walk way for us and the others. Allowing us to pass through, into a small yard and then into a caring facility. _This is a care home...for the elderly._

"Abuela, por favor. Take me to him," the elder woman continued to walk as her grandson followed her, limping as he walked. Dad stopped by some doors, looking into it and seeing patients being taken care of. This warmed my heart as I looked into the rooms.

"Porfavor...enseña el camino. Estarmos allí pronto. Te lo prometo," I spoke to the lady, my American accent made it difficult for me to pronounce it like the did but it made the lady smile and giggle.

"I like her," she said as she continued to walk, we followed and looked into the rooms. Seeing the patients being fed, medicated and looked after. It was sweet to see these people move out of their way for those who were...vulnerable to this new and vicious world.

"All right. All right. Nice and easy. Just breathe. Just breathe. Just let it out. Just breathe. Just relax," Felipe spoke, we enter into what looked like a hall and saw Glenn surrounding a man. As were some others from their small community, Glenn looked at us and gave us a small smile. His eyes glancing back down at the elder man, smiling at how Felipe took care of him and gently placed my hand on my dad's back.

"What the hell is this?" my dad asked confused as to what was happening, but...the look in his eyes showed me differently. _He knows that we almost destroyed this community. This...family. It wouldn't have sat right with him...or me._

"An asthma attack. Couldn't get his breath all of a sudden," Glenn told us, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked up at my dad and then back down at Mr. Gilbert.

"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man," T-Dog commented, this was when we heard the small barking of three Chihuahuas in the corner. They were sat in their beds, a white one that was in the middle was barking up at us and the other two looked more relaxed.

"Could I have a word with you?" dad asked Guillermo as we moved away from other people's hearing. "You're the dumbest son of a bitch I ever met. We walked in there ready to kill every last one of you. Possibly even dying and putting my own daughter at risk!" he said as he pointed at me, standing beside them as we followed them. Daryl and T-Dog staying by Glenn.

"Well, I'm glad it didn't go down that way," Guillermo said as he looked between both me and my dad.

"If it had, that blood would be on both hands," I tell Guillermo, which made my dad look at me slightly saddened.

"I agree. We'd have fought back. Wouldn't be the first time we've had to. Protect the food, the medicine what's left of it. These people, the old ones...the staff took off, just left 'em here to die. Me and Felipe were the only ones who stayed," Guillermo told us which made both me and dad look around us at the groups of patients. _That is sad...so sad. How could they give up on them like that?_

"What are you, doctors?" dad asked him slightly confused as to why and how they were still here.

"Felipe's a nurse, a special care provider. Me, I'm the custodian," Guillermo answered us truthfully and this made my eyes widen for a second. Quickly I looked away, back at the elder people and at Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl. When I glanced up at Daryl, I saw him look back at me but then quickly looked away and continued to watch the elderly people surrounding him.

* * *

><p>"What about the rest of your crew?" dad asked as we took in the bags, leading us to his office, Guillermo sat down and watched as we slowly walked into the room. Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl following behind us.<p>

"The Vatos trickle in to check on their parents, their grandparents. They see how things are and most decide to stay. It's a good thing too. We need the muscle. The people we've encountered since things fell apart, the worst kind...plunderers, the kind that take by force," Guillermo explained to us. _So that was why he was so threatening...well...next time he should remember...not all people are the same._

"That's not who we are," dad stated, nodding I got beside him and began to open the bag.

"How was I to know? My people got attacked and you show up with Miguel hostage...appearances," Guillermo tried to explain, stating the obvious. _Seeing it that way...it does prove a point. Witnessing that could make anyone believe we were bad people._

"Guess the world changed," T-Dog said as he sat down, dad got closer to Guillermo and both T-Dog and Glenn were behind me somewhere, Daryl stood in a corner, watching us as we spoke to one another.

"No. It's the same as it ever was. The weak get taken. So we do what we can here. The Vatos work on those cars, talk about getting the old people out of the city. But most can't even get to the bathroom by themselves, still, it keeps the crew busy, and that's worth something," Guillermo told us and I had to nod in agreement, not everything changed...people still think the same way about some things. Not all but...enough to keep this world mean and cruel.

"So we barred all the windows, welded all the doors shut except for one entrance. The Vatos, they go out, scavenge what they can to keep us going.  
>We watch the perimeter night and day and we wait. The people here, they all look to me now," Guillermo said as every word made me either sad, worried for their patients and smile at their sense of hope. <em>Hope can keep people going, no matter what form it is.<em>

"I don't even know why," Guillermo said more to himself and to my dad. This made my dad stare at him, my own eyes turning sad with slight joy. Moving a little closer, I gave Guillermo a kind smile.

"Because they can," I tell him and this was when both me and dad started handing out guns, placing them on the table and walking out as they gave us some food, taking it kindly and thanking them for it. We told them we had others to look after and to get back to. Understanding our situation, we left as quietly as we could and speed walked to the van.

* * *

><p>"Admit it Dad, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat," I teased him, walking closer and getting to his side. This made him chuckle, shake his head and smirk at me.<p>

"Don't tell anybody," he joked back and this made me giggle at him. He had his hat on, his uniform hat on that I would see him wear on occasion. This made me smile and look down, our walk to the van was getting nearer.

"You've given away half our guns and ammo," Daryl spat, possibly angry that we had given our guns and ammunition to the men who were protecting the older adults back at the residential home.

"Not nearly half," Dad told him truthfully, which made me smile at him and grip his arm lightly. Giving it a squeeze which made him look at me.

"For what? Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long you think they got?" Daryl questioned us, venom in his tone of voice as he spoke. _Why is he being so mean and...rude? _

"How long do any of us?" I question him in return which made my dad frown but place his hand over mine, cupping it and giving my hand a small squeeze.

"Oh my God," Glenn mumbled as we reached where we parked the van, our eyes widening as we stopped and saw...that the van had disappeared.

"Where the hell's our van?" Daryl asked as he looked around, holding onto the strap of his crossbow and examining the pace. It was as though he was expecting it to pop up out of nowhere.

"We left it right there. Who would take it?" Glenn asked, panic clear in his voice as he spoke and this made me look at my dad who was staring directly at the space where we left the van.

"Merle," Dad growled as he made a conclusion that we couldn't prove.

"He's gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp," Daryl tells us, looking slightly sad and concerned as he said so. This was when I thought of something..._Carl...Mom..._

"Fuck," I growled before I began to run towards camp and the others followed. Dad and Daryl following me the closest as I ran the direction we came. _I need to get to them, I need to protect them and save them before anything bad happens. God help me. Protect them...please._

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

Everything seemed more peaceful, we were worried about those that had left for Atlanta, pushing those thoughts away for a minute, I looked at Carl and smiled. We were eating the fish, enjoying the night and chatting amongst ourselves. What surprised me was, we were soon attacked. Amy getting bit by a walker multiple times, while others began to appear from behind the trees.

Grabbing Carl, we stayed close to Shane who was backing us up to the RV. Carl screaming in fear, clutching at me as I did what I could to protect him and myself. Shane kept putting walkers down but that was getting close to an end, just when I see a walker close to grabbing me and Carl, I saw a familiar arrow hit it from the side of the head, knocking it down onto the ground and looked up to see Kat pull out a shotgun.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

We were running for what felt like hours, reaching the camp we could hear screaming. Pausing for a minute, I began to run again as fast as I could and pushed further, the others following close behind. Adrenaline rushing through my veins, my only goal was to get to mom and Carl. To protect them.

When we got there, shots were being fired, people getting eaten, others fighting and most were scurrying to the RV. Mom and Carl close to Shane as I saw a walker begin to try and grab them, getting closer to them and quickly I grabbed my bow and arrow. Shooting the walker in the head, it fell and I looked towards mom and Carl. Their eyes looking up at me relieved, pulling out my shotgun I shot and killed as many as I could.

Slowly they fell to the ground, all of us in panting messes as we tried to gather our thoughts. Our strength and assess the situation. Jim mumbled something but I just walked over to a running Carl, dropping to my knees as he screamed my name, tears in his eyes as we hugged each other tightly. Dad coming over to us, mom edging closer as we all got to our knees. Holding each other as we cried silently...

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><p><strong>What did you think? Want more? What would you like to see? Please tell me in a review. It would help. If I can get 5 reviews by this Friday...I'll post on the Friday. So please...get reviewing! P.S lately FanFic has been a little...mean. Can't edit as well as I would like these days! <strong>

**Much love**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	5. Chapter 5: Chaos

Chapter 5: Chaos

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~11 years ago~_

_Mommy was in her room crying to herself silently as she laid in bed, Daddy walked over to me and gently pressed a hand to my head. He seemed sad and upset, tired...he lead me to my room and helped me get cuddled into bed. He gave me a kiss goodnight and I slowly snuggled out of bed to look at him. Resting my upper body on my elbows as I looked at him. _

_"Daddy?" I called to him before he could walk out of my room, he had already switched off my light and turned to look at me. His eyes seemed sad, tired and slightly...lifeless._

_"What's wrong Kitty Kat?" he asked me and I tapped on my bed for him to sit with me. He sighed softly but walked over to me slowly and sat down on my bed. He seemed to not want to speak so I climbed out of bed and sat beside him, our backs to the wall as we always did. _

_"What's wrong daddy?" I ask him and he just frowns, looking down at his hands and then to me from the corner of his eyes. He pursed his lips before he looked back down at his fumbling hands._

_"Grandma's...gone," he tells me sadly and this made me look at him slightly confused. "It's making mommy really sad because...you love your mommy a lot don't you?" he asks me as he gently took my hands in his. _

_"I do but...isn't grandma coming back?" I asked him and he looked at me confused. "She on vacation isn't she?" I continued to ask him and he frowned, shaking his head slowly as he looked down._

_"She's...dead," he tells me and I looked at him confused._

_"How? What do you mean dead?" I questioned him, unsure of what was happening and wondering what this all meant._

_"Dead is...well...you know death...it comes in all different ways. It happens to the ones we love, the ones we don't and to strangers we may never know," daddy tells me and this makes me frown._

_"It's going to happen to me...to mommy and sadly...it happened to grandma," daddy tells me which makes me frown, crying I sniffled as I hugged him tightly and hid my face in his chest._

_"I don't want you, or mommy or Carl to die," I whisper up to him and he frowns at me, moving my head up to look at him and he wiped away my tears with his thumbs._

_"Don't be sad baby girl...it happens to everyone. It's going to happen and...you or Carl will never be ready but...it will happen. No one can get away from the inevitable," daddy tells me and I nod. "I need you to stay strong, for us...for Carl and most of all...for yourself," he tells me and I nod._

_"I promise daddy...I promise," I nod and laid my head, shutting my eyes as I let a few tears escape and then opened my eyes. They were dry as I took a hard swallow with the lump in my throat. My lips no longer trembling, tears no longer wet and my body no longer shook._

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><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

"Morgan, I don't know if you're out there. I don't know if you can hear me. Maybe you're listening right now. I hope so. I found others my family, if you can believe it. My wife and kids, they're alive. I wanted you to know that," dad spoke into the walkie-talkie as he was by the clearing, staring out into the sunrise.

"There's something else you need to know. Atlanta isn't what we thought. It's not what they promised. The city is...do not enter the city. It belongs to the dead now. We're camped a few miles northwest, up by a big abandoned rock quarry. You can see it on a map. I hope you come find us...but be careful," dad took a few minutes to deliberate what to say and most possibly remembered what had happened earlier.

"Last night walkers came out of the woods. We lost people. Watch yourself, Morgan. Take care of your boy. I'll try you again tomorrow at dawn," he finished and stayed there crouched on the ground, looking at the walkie-talkie and back to the sunrise. Slowly, I creeped closer and stood behind him.

"Dad?...it's Andrea..." I tel him softly as I got closer, he slowly stood up and gripped onto the walkie-talkie, placing it on his belt, he moved closer to me and cupped my cheek gently. Wordlessly, we wandered towards the camp side by side and stopped by the others who were looking at Andrea.

"She still won't move?" Dad asked as he looked towards the two women on the ground. Andrea stared down at a now dead and turning Amy.

"She won't even talk to us. She's been there all night. What do we do?" mom asked us as we looked to see Andrea not move or look at us, she could clearly hear us from this distance as we all watched her.

"Can't just leave Amy like that. We need to deal with it same as the others," Shane said but I just stood there, my hands on my hips while I heard grunting from the distance, smashing of skulls and tugging of bodies.

"I'll tell her how it is. Andrea..." dad said as he got closer to Andrea, he went to speak to her but what surprised me was Andrea's reaction to my dad's footsteps getting closer to her.

"I know how the safety works," she said as she fast as lightning pulled out her gun and cocked it towards my dad. His hands raised as he looked at her sadly.

"All right. Okay," he said as he kept mumbling 'I'm sorry' as he walked backwards, reaching us he lowered his hands and turned to us saddened.

"Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb," Daryl growled when he saw our interaction with Andrea end. His pickaxe rested on his shoulder lazily.

"What do you suggest?" dad questioned him and placed his hands on his hips as he looked at Daryl. Daryl's eyes drifting around the group as he examined each and every one of us.

"Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance," Daryl informed us which made me tense up in thought of it. _No...that's...just...no. It's not right._

"No. For God's sakes, let her be," mom said as she sat down and looked towards the two on the ground. Shutting my eyes for a brief moment, I opened them to glare at Daryl and got closer to him.

"Mom's right, anyway...who are you to say that to us. Would you find it so easy to kill Merle like that?! Huh?! Tell me. Because I sure as hell wouldn't find it easy to kill Carl...or let anyone move me away from him. I would want to do it myself. Think of what you would do. Let Andrea decide what she wants. Let her handle her and what's left of her sister's life," I say sadly, looking at the two who were on the ground, my hands on my hips as I watched them.

Scoffing he walked off, towards the bodies as he shook his head at me. Sighing, I shut my eyes and was about to walk after him, a gentle hand went to my cheek and caressed it with their thumb. Looking up I saw it was mom and smiled sadly at her. I decided to take her hand, give it a little squeeze before taking it off my cheek and walking after them.

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><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb," I growled, angered that we were having to deal with a dead girl and her stupid sister. A sister who wouldn't leave her dead sister to be ended. _That dead girl is just going to get a good chunk of that stupid girl._

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked me, his hands on his waist as he looked around the small group. It consisted of me, Rick, Shane, Dale, Kat, Carol sat down and Lori.

"Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance," I inform them, this made both Kat and Lori's faces contort with disgust. _They probably think I'm an asshole...good._

"No. For God's sakes, let her be," Lori said as she sat down, Kat shutting her eyes for a second before she looked at me, anger growing under her sweet face and she stepped up to me.

"Mom's right, anyway...who are you to say that to us. Would you find it so easy to kill Merle like that?! Huh?! Tell me. Because I sure as hell wouldn't find it easy to kill Carl...or let anyone move me away from him. I would want to do it myself. Think of what you would do. Let Andrea decide what she wants. Let her handle her and what's left of her sister's life," she said sadly, her hands resting on her hips like her father did, she glared at me and then drifted towards the two on the ground when she was talking sensitively.

Scoffing, I turn my back and head towards the others to help them with the bodies. Placing them in the fires or stacking them into a pile for 'burial' and helped Morales pick one up.

"Wake up, Jimbo. We've got some work to do," I say as I get to work, straining to pick up a dead weight of one that was about to turn from our camp. We were leading it to the pile of the 'to be burned' group and this was when Kat wandered closer to us. Seeing Glenn behind me, he looked past us and screamed out.

"What are you guys doing? This is for geeks. Our people go over there," he demanded, his voice cracking and trembling as he held in his tears but we saw them begin to overflow.

"What's the difference? They're all infected," I spat over my shoulder at him and he placed his hands above his head. His eyes slightly red as he looked between me, Morales and the body in our hands.

"Our people go in that row over there. We don't burn them! We bury them. Understand? Our people go in that row over there," he said pointing to the row and we just huffed, groaning and straining as we threw the bodies to one side.

"You reap what you sow," I told them as Kat just looked at me with saddened and disappointed eyes. _Fuck her and her crystal blues...with that...fucking face of her. Fuck her. She don't mean shit to me._

"You know what? Shut up, man," Morales spat as he looked at me, dropping the body I walked off to another one and saw Morales growl at me and struggle with the body, Kat walked to him and helped Morales with the body.

"Y'all left my brother for dead! You had this coming," I yelled as I walked off, pointing to the dead bodies of the camp members that got grabbed and munched on. Kat looked down at the bodies saddened, her eyes soft and upset, a wetness to them as she looked towards her family.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Things had been hectic, Daryl was being an asshole but...it was understandable. He felt this was some sick version of Karma but...it was the worst kind. Helping to move the bodies, I saw Jacqui and Jim whispering to each other about something but didn't make anything of it.

"A walker got him. A walker bit Jim!" Jacqui exclaimed to us and we rushed to circle him, Shane pushed me behind him firmly and dad pressed a hand firmly out so that I couldn't get past him.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," Jim tried to relax us but it just made people more weary.

"Show it to us. Show it to us," Daryl exclaimed, wanting us to have proof that he was as okay as he said he was.

"Easy, Jim," Shane said as Jim lifted his shovel and swung it a little.

"Grab him," Daryl ordered, which made us all try to get over to him but Jim kept swinging when anyone got too close to him.

"Jim, put it down. Put it down," Shane growled at him as he too tried to keep me back and away from Jim.

"I'm okay," Jim repeated his breathing heavy as he was grabbed by T-Dog and Daryl lifted his shirt to reveal the bite mark. This made us gasp and keep away from him. I just gripped onto my dad's arm tightly, he looked over his shoulder at me and my eyes were wide with fear for him. _We've not had a bite victim like this before...Amy died of blood loss...Jim could die of infection._

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it," Daryl growled as we were all huddled in a group, discussing what was to be done with Jim.

"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Shane questioned him, unsure if what he was even saying about what to do for Jim was the right thing. _It's because it isn't the right thing to do...with either. Not Jim and certainly not with Amy._

"Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it," Daryl said, it felt teasing to me but it was laced with sarcasm. _He wouldn't want that...would he?_

"I hate to say it I never thought I would but maybe Daryl's right," Dale said which made me look at him wide eyed. _To think...such a kind-hearted man has gone cold._

"Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog," dad stood up for Jim with a face of pure disgust that Dale would agree with such a thing.

"I'm not suggesting-" Dale began, looking at us as though he hadn't said what he wanted to but I cut him off.

"He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" I questioned Dale and he just looked at me stunned, everyone in the group seemed unsure of what to agree to. Shane gave me a small smile and Dad gave me a gleam in his eye, it must have been some sort of hidden pride.

"The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be," Daryl spat back at me, his eyes squinting at me with slight anger and this made me clench my jaw.

"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure," dad said as he tried to change the situation, this made me look at him with furrowed brows.

"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell," Shane tells us as he scoffed a little.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?" dad questioned the group, my eyes were on dad but from the corner of my eye, I could see Daryl looking around and behind him.

"Man, that is a stretch right there," Shane spoke as he looked at my dad.

"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection-" dad continued to reason, but Shane cut him off as quickly as he could.

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning," Shane tells us and this makes mom look at him with slight confusion.

"That's 100 miles in the opposite direction," mom stated and this made me look at Daryl. _He's thinking too much about something and...he keeps...looking behind him. Is he...no...surely not. He wouldn't. _

"That is right...but it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there," Shane tried to reason his side of the options and we all looked and gave him a nod.

"The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that. The CDC is our best choice...and Jim's only chance," dad stated, which made me smile. _He is always thinking of others. _

"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" Daryl growled out as he turned, lifting his pickaxe and running to go and swing it at Jim's head.

"Daryl!" I scream as I ran after him, trying to reach him before he could hurt Jim. Dad was running behind me and edged closer to Daryl.

"Hey hey hey! We don't kill the living," Dad said as he got behind Daryl. Lifting his gun and stopping him from killing Jim for a moment. Getting in Daryl's view I placed my arms up and blocked his view from Jim.

"That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head," Daryl said as he turned to look at dad after looking at me for a second. Glaring at my dad before his head whipped to look at me as I spoke out to him.

"Dad is right. Daryl...please...let go of the pickaxe," I plead to him as my eyes examined his. Staring up into his as he processed something in his mind. Shutting them tightly, he slowly dropped it to the ground and walked off. Picking up the pickaxe, I moved closer to Jim and smiled at him kindly. "Come with me," I suggest as I hold my hand out for him.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked me as he looked up at me weary.

"Somewhere safe...you can trust me Jim," I tell him honestly as he took my hand and I led him into the RV, allowing Jacqui to come in and look after Jim.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" I yelled as I raised my pickaxe and ran towards Jim, raising it over my head and shoulder to get a good hit at Jim.

"Daryl!" I heard a scream as I felt my body tense, footsteps running towards me as they stopped behind me and to my side.

"Hey hey hey! We don't kill the living," Rick growled as he got behind me. Lifting his gun and stopping me from making an attempt at killing Jim for a second. Feet shuffled to my view as the blue-eyed, brown-haired, pretty girl Kat came into view. Her small but muscular figure raised her arms up and blocked my view of Jim.

"That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head," I growled back at Rick as I lowered my pickaxe to look at the gun in my face. Rick's hand firm as he glared at me.

"Dad is right. Daryl...please...let go of the pickaxe," she plead me as her bright blues looked at me. Staring up into mine as I watched her. _Is she really going to protect a dying man?! What is she thinking?! He is more than dead, doesn't she want to protect herself and her family? So fucking stupid..._Shutting my eyes tightly, I dropped the pickaxe it to the ground and walked away from them.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

There was sudden shallow breathing as I sat beside my mom, finished with dragging bodies to the pile while the men wrapped them up and would call me to place the bodies in the back of Daryl's truck. "Amy. Amy, I'm sorry...I'm sorry for not ever being there. I always thought there'd be more time," Andrea spoke to the transformed Amy, who was looking up at her sister.

Growling Amy tried to grip onto Andrea's hair, pulling Andrea's face closer to her as she kept her face at a close enough distance for Andrea to look down at the reanimated Amy. "I'm here now, Amy. I'm here. I love you," she told her dead sister, just as we were all edging on our seat and people were pulling out their guns to shoot Amy. We heard a gunshot and then saw Amy fall to the side. Andrea caressing her finally dead sister's face.

"I still think it's a mistake not burning these bodies. It's what we said we'd do, right? Burn 'em all, wasn't that the idea?" Daryl said as he parked the truck by the graves that dad and Shane were digging up, we were all walking up and were ready for the burials.

"At first," Shane admitted as they saw us coming up the hill, Carl following close next to me and held onto my hand firmly.

"The Chinaman gets all emotional, says it's not the thing to do, we just follow him along? These people need to know who the hell's in charge here...what the rules are," Daryl spoke which made us look at him a little differently..._he speaks the truth...only about the rules. No one is in charge. We all make votes. Like normal people. No leaders._

"There are no rules," dad said as he stated the cold fact to Daryl. _Live and survive should be the rules. Seeing as that is all we actually do these days._

"Well, that's a problem. We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn and we need to bury our dead. It's what people do," mom said and I agreed, nodding my head as Carl looked up at us, looking down at him I gave him a small smile which earned me a small smile in return.

Watching Andrea bury her sister, made me sad but mom cry, she held onto Carl in her arms as we watched Dale help her. My hand slowly creeping into his as I watched him, my eyes on him for a moment, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. He gently kissed my temple as we said our words about Amy and all helped bury her.

"Burying other people is bad enough, but the thought of one of us-" dad started as mom held our hands and led both me and Carl back towards the camp.

"Shh," mom said quickly as she turned to look at him. Her eyes seemed angry and I just sighed, looking at the two of them and frowning.

"Are we safe now, dad? Now that we're all together?" Carl asked as he looked up at me and dad. Dad crouched as he looked at Carl in the eyes.

"I won't leave again...neither will Kat. Ain't that right?" he asked me as he looked up at me.

"He's right," I smiled down at Carl, as I grabbed mom's hand and tapped Carl under his chin.

"We promise you that...I promise you all that," dad said as he cupped my cheek and caressed it with his thumb. "Not for anything," he said as he looked at both me and Carl. His eyes landing on mom's beside me. "Now give me a chance to discuss some things with your mom, okay?" he asked us gently, smiling we nod and I walked off with Carl holding his hand tightly.

Walking back to camp, I stopped when I saw Daryl sitting by the dead fire, looking around a little mad. Sighing, I leaned to crouch down to Carl's level, smiling at him as we looked into each others eyes. "Carl...how about you go and grab your clothes, some fresh ones and we'll go to the creek to get washed. Yeah?" I asked him and he just nods, smiling at me brightly and ran to our tent.

Walking up to Daryl, I had my hands shoved into my pockets, afraid of what to say and how to say it. "Daryl?" I called to him and he looked up at me. His brown hair was slightly messy, his blue eyes looking up at me questioning and his skin filthy with blood, sweat and dirt.

"I...I came to say sorry about earlier," I tell him and he just bit the inside of his cheek, looking me up and down as he watched me. Listening he stayed silent for a few seconds, when I was about to open my mouth he spoke.

"What 'bout?" he asked me and I sighed, looking down and staring at the ground. My eyes on my feet as I kicked the dirt a little, my hands in my pockets and possibly making me look more shy than guilty.

"For bringing up Merle like that...I'm also sorry about what happened with Merle. I can't imagine what it must be like...to be without your brother. Without someone you love and finding them in...such a situation that if I was you...I would be so...confused and worried," I tell him and he just kept his eyes on me. When I looked up at him from under my lashes, he just leaned back from his seat a little.

He stayed silent, unmoving and not saying a word to me. Looking back to the floor, I stood there and suddenly heard running footsteps come towards me. Giggling, I look to the running figure and messed his hair a little. "Where are you going short stuff?" I ask him and he just grabs my hand, moving it out of his hair and making me laugh.

"Don't tease! I thought we were going to go to the creek...where are your clothes?" he asked me and I smile at him. Looking back at Daryl both me and Carl looked to him. Carl gave him a small wave but Daryl didn't budge.

"I'm going to grab towels and grab a swim suit to have our wash in. Go get ready and I'll be there in a few seconds, alright?" I suggest to him and he just sighs. Nodding to Daryl I walked towards my tent, quickly slipped into a bikini when I found one, finding myself some fresh clothes and went to grab us some towels. Heading down, I saw Carl had his back against the water, floating boredly and his face above water.

Deciding to give him a scare, I jumped into the water and slowly dived into it. When I reached him, I grabbed him and lifted him from the water, throwing him into the air and catching him. He screamed but then laughed when he saw it was me.

Gripping onto my arms, he looked up at me and wriggled. Blowing against his stomach, making weird noises that made him laugh from the tickles. "Let me go Kat! Please!" he said and I just drop him making him hit the water. When he hit the surface he just smiled at me and shook his head. "You're crazy," he said with a grin on his face.

"Maybe..." I teased, this made him laugh and swim over to the rocks which had the soap. He picked up the body wash and began to was his body, throwing it to me, I caught it and smiled at him. Giving him a small thank you as he did so.

"Did uh...did you have to go yesterday? I mean...I understand why but...I sometimes wished you hadn't, you or dad," Carl tells me and I smile at him sadly. Washing my body, I looked at where my hands touched, cleaning myself thoroughly and moving towards Carl to put the soap back.

"I did. It was...something that needed to happen," I tell him and he looked at the water sadly. "But not one minute did I not think of you and mom," I tell him and looked up at me with those bright blue eyes. Standing beside him, I got the shampoo and began to squirt some into my hand.

With a look at him from the corner of my eye, I smirked and began to run my fingers roughly through his hair, his head moving around like crazy as he giggled and tried to get my hands out of his hair. "You think too much baby brother," I snickered as he tried to stop me but he just giggled.

"Stop! Kat!" he giggled out and when I knew his hair was lathered enough, he dunked it into the water after a few scrubs. Cleaning my hands, I got some of the shampoo and began to scrub my hair. Looking at him, I walked past him and dunked my hair in and flipped it back. Going under, I came up and gasped. Wiping my hair back, trying to get rid of all the soap and then cleaning my eyes of any water or soap.

I heard a stifled snicker, when I turned to look behind me I saw Carl crouch a little and then flick water waves at me. Splashing at me he looked at me and laughed, my eyes widened as I looked at him and gasped. "You did not just do that!" I questioned him teasingly threateningly. He giggled and bit his bottom lip, his eyes mischievous as I looked at him.

His face was bright red, possibly trying to hold in his laughs and that was when I splashed him back. He gasped but only started to laugh. Splashing me back, we made it into a splashing war and burst into fits of laughter. When we started to calm down, I walked closer to him and grabbed him. Picking him up, I swung him and threw him lightly into the water.

When he reached the surface, he laughed and wiped the water from his face. Climbing out, we took our clothes and decided it was too cold to get changed inside, walking around camp I was drying my hair out and heading to the tent. Carl had already walked past me when I heard a voice call out to me. Turning I was surprised to see it was Daryl...

"Daryl...what's wrong?" I asked him, completely forgetting that I was in just my bikini and his eyes slowly slipped from my eyes to trail my body. Wrapping the towel around me, I looked up at him and he quickly looked back at me.

"I...I came to say you were right. I can tell ya really care about your brother and...it would be hard to kill someone you care so deeply about. I also came to say...thanks fer telling me the truth, knocking some sense into my with just words. So...thanks," he said and gave me a nod, his jaw clenching as he turned to walk off. Sneaking back into his tent as I stood there a little confused, but shook it off and headed back to the tent to find Carl had already finished.

He sat there, waiting for me to get dried and changed as he looked though a comic book I had found for him. When I was ready, I put my hair up and looked to him. Suddenly, I heard a tap on the tent and said they could come in. Looking at the face, I saw it was Shane who was poking his head inside. "Hey...meeting in 5," he tells me and I nod.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

Hearing her say sorry made me think things over, she was only saying what was on her mind and I respected it. What she said was true, anyone would worry over their family members like Andrea would or how Kat would. When she left, I was going to go and speak to her when she was done with her wash.

I couldn't resist as I walked over to see her and her brother playing around together. Splashing each other, having fun and being...cute together. Her wet body made me look her over more than once, but the smile that was plastered on her face, the giggles and the way she loved her brother were...priceless.

When I went to go talk to her, I couldn't concentrate and she just looked at me with those big blue eyes. So similar to her fathers and brother. She didn't strike me to be her mothers and she loved both of them dearly, but not as much as her brother. They always seemed inseparable. When I couldn't handle looking at her anymore, I said what I had to and scurried off back into my tent.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"I've been, uh I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no...there are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?" Shane asked us as I saw mom making a makeshift arrow I taught her how to for me.

Later we ate, got ready to sleep and prepared for the next morning. Dad and mom allowing me to fix things for both me and Carl, Carl handing me the things as I fixed them into his suitcase and bags. We helped each other as a team, snuggled into bed and fell asleep together, the book unfinished as we slept cuddled to each other. Waking up, we had breakfast and met by the cars. All our things were already in the back of dad's car.

"Everybody listen up. Those of you with CB's, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan," Shane instructed. "Any questions?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"We're, uh...e're we're not going," Morales told us sadly.

"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people," Morales' wife told us as she held her children to her side.

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back," Shane informed them but Morales' wife looked down at her children.

"We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family," Morales told us confidently which made my dad nod and me. _Family is what matters now..._

"You sure?" dad asked them, trying to make sure they knew exactly what they would be signing up to if they went to the road alone.

"We talked about it. We're sure," Morales confirmed to us all, looking at us all sadly but confidently.

Dad and Shane pulled out ammo and a handgun. Holding it out for Morales to take from them as they gave him sad smiles. _We wished they didn't leave but...they have to do what they have to do. God...let them be safe. Please._

"The box is half full," Shane informed them as Morales gently took the box of ammo from him.

"Thank you all...for everything," Morales' wife said as her voice trembled, her tears beginning to flow as mom moved to say her goodbyes and give them all hugs.

This was when we all said our goodbye's. Hugging the family, we gave them sad smiles and comforting words. When I went to hug Morales, I whispered in his ear "Thank you for saving my dad and getting him out of that city," which just made him smile and say it was nothing. That my dad was the hero, making me giggle and look at him proudly.

"Channel 40 if you change your minds. All right?" dad asked them as the final goodbyes were given, Daryl didn't seem happy about the ammunition that was given to the family but bit his thumb nail about it.

"Yeah. I know," Morales said as he began to walk towards his car, their daughter had given Sophia her doll and Carl was crying softly, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him to me. He cried into my waist and held me just as tightly.

"What makes you think our odds are any better? Come on. Let's go. Let's move out," Shane said as we all hopped into cars and got the engines started. There was no room in dad's car so Shane offered to take one of us, instead of letting mom or Carl go in, I took up the offer and jumped to sit beside him.

My hair was whipping as we went the opposite way to the Morales family. Giggling, I threw my head back onto the seat and enjoyed the cool breeze. "Like that air huh?" Shane asked me, a smile on his face as he chuckled at my expression.

"Yeah...after all this heat, we really took advantage of the air conditioners didn't we?" I joked and he just nods, moving his cap a little as we drove for what felt like hours.

There was a hissing noise coming from the RV as we jumped down and walked towards the RV. "I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van," Dale said to dad as he looked at him, this made me shove my hands into my pockets and look to the two men.

"Can you jury-rig it?" dad asked Dale but this just led to the elder man to shake his head.

"That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose...and I'm out of duct tape," Dale informs us as Shane looked into his binoculars and scanned the area in front of us.

"I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky," Shane tried to lift our spirits as he looked to the rest of us and handed the binoculars to T-Dog.

"Y'all, Jim It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore," Jacqui cried as she got out of the RV, her feet running towards us, her face panicked and sad.

"Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back." Shane suggested as T-Dog looked around and gave a nod.

"Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up," T-Dog offered as we walked our separate ways, moving to Carl and mom, I talked to them softly about almost nothing and waited for others to come back to us.

"It's what he says he wants," Dad told us what Jim wanted, that he wanted to be left to turn alone and that we were to leave him there. That this was what he truly wanted, this made me frown but nod at dad as he spoke.

"And he's lucid?" Carol questioned, unsure that this could possibly be what Jim wanted to become of him.

"He seems to be. I would say yes," dad said as he gave us all a look, nod and placed his hands on his hips.

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants...and I think we have an answer," Dale spoke as we nod, sure that this was what was right by Jim but Shane just shook his head.

"We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that," Shane said as he held onto his gun, looking at each of our faces to see who would possibly agree with him.

"It's not your call, either one of you," I say, making everyone look at me and nod.

"Hey, another damn tree," Jim said as dad and Shane pulled him out of the RV and rest him against a tree, Jim looked up and chuckled to himself as some of our camp members smiled softly at Jim.

"Hey, Jim I mean, you know it doesn't need to be this," Shane said as he leaned down to look Jim in the eyes, hoping that he could possibly get Jim to say he had changed his mind on being left behind.

"No. It's good. The breeze feels nice," Jim croaked out as he shut his eyes and took in the surrounding of nature around him.

"Just close your eyes, sweetie. Don't fight," Jacqui told him, leaning in to shut her eyes sadly and press a kiss to his cheek. She wiped at her tears and I gently rubbed her back before she turned and walked back to the RV.

"Jim, do you want this?" dad asked Jim as he crouched down and showed Jim a handgun, Jim took a gulp and shook his head. Carl stood beside me and held my hand tightly.

"No. You'll need it. I'm okay," Jim mumbled to dad as dad put it back into his holster and stood up straight. Jim just looked at each of us, his eyes shutting every once in a while as I frowned.

"Hey. Thanks for, uh, for fighting for us," Dale said as he crouched down and gave Jim a forced smile. Jim just gave him a small smile and a quick nod.

"Okay," he said as we all slowly started to leave. His breathing got louder and heavier, we got into our cars and this made me go into Shane's car again. He had found a small amount of gas, enough to keep us going for a day or so but...not enough to Fort Benning as he would have hoped. Cars started as we drove away from Jim, leaving him behind as he died alone and against a tree.

* * *

><p>We drove for a few more hours, stopping at a huge building and seeing army like structures surrounding it. Stepping out, the stench of dead, rotting flesh invaded my nose, the noise of thousands of flies buzzing on the corpses and the thousands of corpses laid out on the floor was a shocking vision to behold. We quietly sneaked forward, my bow and arrow in one hand, my handgun in the other.<p>

Dad walked ahead, Shane close to him as I kept Carl and mom in front of me. Both of them covering their mouths as I kept mine shut and breathed in as little as possible.

Rattling of the doors shut tight as dad and Shane checked to see if they could go in. "Nothing?" I ask them and this makes Shane pound on the door.

"There's nobody here," T-Dog concluded but this made me shake my head at him.

"Then why are these shutters down?" dad questioned T-Dog's conclusion to this whole situation. _Dad has a point, he always does. He's the smartest man I know, even if he has proven himself not to be._

"Walkers!" Daryl alerted us, making me slip my gun into my holster and pull out an arrow from my quiver. Quickly I shot the walker down with my arrow, Carl and mom whispering to each other in comfort as Carl cried in mom's arms.

"You led us into a graveyard!" Daryl screamed at my dad, as he walked closer to him.

"He made a call," I screamed to Daryl, angered that he even spoke like that about my father.

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yelled at both me and my dad.

"Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up!" I growled at him as I shoved him away from both me and my father. "Shut up!" I told him and he stayed in the place I left him, pacing around as I saw Shane wander to my dad. Walking past Daryl I went to grab my arrow and pulled it out, cleaning it against my pants.

"Rick, this is a dead end," Shane spoke to my dad, worried and panic stricken as he paced around a little like Daryl but less in circles.

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol asked worried and teary in her voice.

"Do you hear me? No blame," Shane said as he talked to my dad.

"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark," mom told them as she clutched onto Carl, he was crying into her waist and grabbed onto her for dear life.

"Fort Benning, Rick...still an option," Shane tried to persuade my dad but my dad just shook his head and looked at Shane like he was crazy.

"On what? No food, no fuel. That's 100 miles," Andrea spoke up as dad just stood there in a daze, walkers were beginning to rise as I pulled out arrow after arrow and shot them, rushing over there to grab my arrows and running back.

"It's 125 I checked the map," Glenn tells us and this made my mom more panicked. Carl sobbing into her waist as he held her tightly.

"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now," mom growled out, her panick and anger were showing as she just wanted to get someplace safe.

"Well, think of something," Dad tried to calm them down but instead people were beginning to go back to the cars, telling us to go back and shoving us. Dad stood there for a few seconds, shuffling back but then froze when we both heard something move. "The camera it moved," dad told the rest of them behind him, both of us staring at the camera stunned.

"You imagined it," Dale concluded but instead I looked back at the elder man, shaking my head as I laughed to myself.

"It moved," I said which made my dad walk closer to it, repeating what I said and both of us watching the camera in the wall.

"Rick, Kat...it is dead, guys. It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on," Shane said as he began to pull both me and Dad. His grip on me was a little too firm which made me slap his hand off of me.

"Guys, just listen to me. Look around this place. It's dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick and Kat," Shane tried to force us to go, dad shoving his way out as I squirmed away from Shane's grip.

"Rick, Kat! There's nobody here!" Carol screamed to us from the distance but we just stared up at the camera.

"We know you're in there. I know you can hear me," Dad confronted the camera as it followed our every move with a small lag.

"Everybody get back to the cars now!" Shane demanded of everyone as they began to run back to the cars but slowed down as they watched me and dad try and convince whoever was inside to open.

"Please, we're desperate. Please help us. We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left," I tell whoever was watching, my voice breaking as I pleaded up to the camera.

"Rick! Kat! There's nobody here," mom said as he tried to pull us both back but instead we screamed and pleaded to the person.

"We have nowhere else to go," I pleaded as dad pounded on the door.

"Keep your eyes open," Shane alerted the others.

"If you don't let us in, you're killing us! Please!" I cried out, tears began to flow as I screamed up at the camera. Dad pounding onto the doors over and over again.

"Come on, guys, let's go. Let's go," Shane told us as he gripped the both of us, pulling us back as we wriggled out of his grip.

"Please help us," dad pleaded as Shane grabbed dad and mom grabbed me. Pulling us both away from the camera as we kick and screamed.

"You're killing us! You're killing us! You're killing us!" me and dad echoed just as we were being turned to look away, the sound of something clanging opened and the sound of gas as it came out hissing at us. We all stopped and stared at the brightly illuminated door, stunned and frozen in place...

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><p><strong>What do you think? Should I continue? What would you like to see more? What do you think of CPOV chapters for possibly season 2? If I said I had my own ideas for some chapters, like before going straight into season 2...what would you think? Leave me reviews saying what you would about these questions! <strong>

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	6. Chapter 6: CDC

Chapter 6: CDC

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~9 years ago~_

_I was sat down by the porch, staring towards the streets as children played and I just held the paper tightly in my hands. Mom was still at work, she had a meeting to be at and dad was soon off his clock. I felt so alone and worried, gripping onto the paper so tightly I felt as though my heart was about to exit my chest. _

_I looked up when I saw dad's car park up in front, when he got out he smiled brightly at me and slowed when he saw the sad expression on my face. "What's wrong Kitten?" he asked me and I just hand him the paper, his eyes examining it as they became wide. "Fail? You failed your test?" dad asked me surprised and there was something else...disappointment?_

_Nodding, I could feel the tears build in my eyes, quickly I stood up and ran towards the front door, opening it and running up the stairs to my room. Slamming the door, I jumped into bed and cried into my pillow. _I failed dad...he hates me now...it doesn't surprise me...I would hate me too if I was him.

_I then heard a soft knock on the door, dad's voice called for me kindly as he knocked again and opened the door slowly. "Katherine...baby girl..." dad spoke as he carefully sat on my bed and let his fingers graze my arm, trying to be comforting. "Kat...please...talk to me..." he tried but I just cried silently into my pillow._

_"Katherine...don't be afraid about failing something, you can always learn from these mistakes and...get better. It only takes time," he tells me gently as he rested his hand on my arm. Rubbing it slowly he sighed and moved to look at me. I closed my eyes tightly so he couldn't see my tears, but somehow he could and he wiped at where they had once fell._

_"Kat...talk to me," he tried to urge, eventually, I sat up and looked at him sadly. We both moved to be laying against the wall, as we always did and sighed. Fiddling my thumbs, while I looked down at them and frowned._

_"I...I feel like I've disappointed you dad...I've disappointed mom too. What...what if I fail at everything? What if I never get a job?" I ask him and he frowned at me again. His arm slung over my shoulder to pull my head to rest on his chest. _

_"You could never disappoint me baby girl...or your mom," dad started as he held me to him tightly. "Baby girl...this ain't the end of the world. You can learn from this, don't let this make you weaker and keep trying. As for the job...well...what I believe is...there's always hope for a brighter future. That we are always given a chance to make things right and better for ourselves," he tells me which makes me look up at him, teary eyed. "We just...take it slow...one day at a time...things can get better," he tells me sweetly which made me shut my eyes and open them to look up at him again._

_"You think so?" I ask him and he smiled, nodding down at me and this makes me giggle. Cuddling up to him, I wrapped my arms around him and he gently pressed his lips to the top of my head. "Thank you daddy," I whispered to his chest and he just rests his head on top of mine._

_"It's okay Kitten," he tells me and we both sat there for what felt like hours together, holding each other as we kept to our own thoughts. Gradually we moved from one another's hold and left the room to prepare for mom's arrival. When she got home to hear the news, she frowned and pulled me into a warm hug, telling me everything was going to be fine, that I could now learn from these mistakes and make things better..._

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><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

"Daryl, you cover the back!" Shane told Daryl as we began to enter the building, staying close to dad as I tugged both mom and Carl inside. Shane following closely as we all wandered inside.

"Hello? Hello?" dad called into the room, his voice echoing through the building as we walked inside, everyone staring inside with awe.

"Watch those doors. Watch for walkers," Dale commanded as we all got inside, I echoed my own 'Hello?' as I looked around, gazing at the huge structure and the fact it was so...empty. We suddenly heard a gun cock in our direction, raising my handgun, I looked at who was being pointed at on the other end of my gun.

"Anybody infected?" a man with strawberry blonde hair, pale face and...normal clothes asked us as he held up a gun at us. His eyes trailing each of our faces and bodies.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it," dad informed the man, his arms slowly lowering the gun while mine slowly lowered because of my dad's reaction. _He has a good sence about people and...if he lowers his gun it's because he believes this person is good and not a threat._

"Why are you here? What do you want?" the man asked us, looking at every one of us as he looked at us blankly. We were all panting from the panick of outside and of how dark it was getting.

"A chance," I tell him and he looked at me sadly, his eyes became dull again as he looked around the room, his eyes landing on mine again as he looked at me seriously.

"That's asking an awful lot these days," he informs me, stating the obvious as I lowered my gun and frowned. Everyone around us were finally relaxing themselves from all the worry we had earlier.

"We know," dad admitted as we all stood there, awaiting his answer as he looked at all of our faces. Surprisingly, he gave us all a good analysis in his mind and walked closer to us.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission," he told us as we all nod and watched him. Some of us gulping or still trying to gather their breaths. Dad looked around, my eyes wide at the thought of a needle and this made me gulp. _I hate needles..._

"We can do that," dad agreed for us all, he stood closer and lowered his gun.

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed," he said as we all nod and ran back outside, pulling all we could with us and rushing into the entrance again. "Vi, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here," the man said as he closed the elevator doors behind us, all of us squeezing in together as I pressed Carl against me and held him in my arms.

"Rick Grimes," dad held his hand out for the man, who looked at dad's hand and gave it a small shake.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner," the man replied as we all stood closely huddled in the elevator, patient as we waited to reach the bottom level.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asked Jenner curiously as we continued to wait. Carl's hands reaching up to hold onto mine.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough," Jenner said as he looked at each of us, his eyes landing on Carl as he spoke next. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you," he said slightly teasingly, looking at Carl he had a small smile on his face and it made me giggle. Leaning down, I kissed his cheek which made him wriggle from my lips. This made all the others laugh at us, especially our mom and dad.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked as she held Sophia close to her and walked down a long hall.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Jenner asked Carol as she looked at the ground shyly and away from any of our glances.

"A little," she admits and looks up at us again, this made me give her a small smile. Carl's hand giving mine a light squeeze.

"Try not to think about it," Jenner told her as we walked into a huge room filled with computers "Vi, bring up the lights in the big room," he spoke to a so-called 'Vi' "Welcome to zone 5," he told us as he looked over his shoulder at us.

"Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?" dad questioned Jenner, clearly confused as to what happened and where the others were hiding.

"I'm it. It's just me here," Jenner told us, all of our hearts sinking as we took in this information. _There's...no one else? Just...him? Impossible._

"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" I asked him, hopeful that there was someone else out here with us. That was willing to be here, to help and keep us all safe...alive.

"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them...welcome," Jenner spoke out clearly as he talked slowly. Deliberately.

"Hello, guests. Welcome," a robotic voice came out of the walls, making us all look around the room surprised. _No...this can't be..._

"I'm all that's left. I'm sorry," he told us and led us all to a room where he had the equipment to get blood samples.

"What's the point? If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever," Andrea stated as he took her blood sample. My blood sample went smoothly, more than what doctors were like back when they were all alive. I hissed at the thought of the possible pain, only feeling a slight pinch and sat beside Carl when he had his own blood sample.

"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me just at least be thorough," he explained to her and she just stayed silent. "All done," Jenner spoke as he looked up at Andrea. She got up and stumbled, Jacqui caught her and placed her to her feet again. "Are you okay?" Jenner asked worried about the woman in Jacqui's arms.

"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have," Jacqui informed the man as we all made our way towards the dinning room.

* * *

><p>"Fine," mom told Dale as he poured her a drink, I had my own little glass of wine and sipped on it gently. Trying to keep it for the entire night and to not get drunk by keeping to just the one glass. Dale handed mom her glass, she smiled at me and then to dad. She gave Carl a kiss on his temple before she took a sip of her wine.<p>

"You know, in Italy...children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France," Dale informed us which made my eyes widen a little. _Is he trying to get Carl into drinking?! _

"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France...he can have some then," mom teased which made me giggle on my glass, mom had her hand covering Carl's cup, I looked up to see Daryl taking a sip from the bottle and watching me.

"What's it gonna hurt? Come on," dad tried to reason to mom, she looked at him stunned and convince mom to let Carl have a drink. "Come on," he encouraged again and this made mom look at dad before stifling a wine filled giggle and lifted her hand from his glass.

"There you are, young lad," Dale said as he poured wine into Carl's cup a little and we all watched as Carl took a sip, dad was already stifling his laugher as I smirked at Carl. He pulled a face of disgust and gave us all a long 'eew' and slammed the glass down.

"That's my boy. That's my boy. Good boy," mom comforted him as she took the glass from him and poured the wine into her drink. Taking an innocent sip as everyone else laughed, my giggles making my shoulders shake as I looked to Carl's disgusted face.

"That tastes nasty," Carl said as he shook his head and looked at all of us. We were all laughing, dad reached over and messed Carl's hair a little as we enjoyed our meal and wine.

"Well...just stick to sour pop there, bud," Shane teased as he looked at Carl from under his lashes. His eyes drifting to me, mom and dad but landing back on Carl again.

"Not you, Glenn," Daryl spoke as he walked towards the others, pouring some wine into their glasses and Glenn looked up confused but stunned as he was reading his wine bottle absent-mindedly.

"What?" Glenn asked as he finally pulled himself out of his reading daze, a bright and wide smile on his face as he looked at the redneck who was watching him.

"Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get," Daryl said, the way he looked at that moment...his face slightly red from the laughter and wine, his arms..._god his arms..._they were tense, flexing and his muscles rippling under his skin as he spoke and held onto the bottle. His short brown hair slightly messy and his mouth moving slowly. _He looks..._

Everyone began to laugh, including Glenn. I quickly pulled myself out of my trance when I noticed my dad turn his head to look at me, then his eyes drifted past me and towards the man who was alone. "It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly," dad said as he raised to his feet, clinking the glass as he spoke to get others attention.

"He is more than just our host," T-Dog slurred a little as he sounded in complete bliss and we all raised our glass to him. Daryl running around to make sure everyone had their glass full of wine, even pouring me a little extra and quickly scurrying away to fill other glasses.

"Hear hear!" someone said "Here's to you, doc," said someone else as we all raised our glasses and smiled at the doctor who sat alone watching us.

"Booyah!" Daryl said as he lifted the wine bottle and shouted out this word. Causing everyone else to echo after him and take their own sip of wine. Dad thanking the man as he gave him a nod and we all drank up and dad sat back down.

"So when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, doc?" Shane questioned the man, his voice dull and emotionless as he quickly changed our mood and everyone silenced. "All the- the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened. Where are they?" Shane questioned further, not allowing the man to answer back to his questions prior to these new ones.

"We're celebrating, Shane. Don't need to do this now," dad said as he sat back down, all of us silent as we took a sip of our drink. My swallow was hard and slow as I felt my throat close up from the tension and sadness.

"Whoa, wait a second. This is why we're here, right? This was your move- supposed to find all the answers. Instead we...we found him. Found one man. Why?" Shane asked as he stopped my dad from changing the subject any further.

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just...left. Went off to be with their families...and when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted," Jenner told us, his voice monotone and his expression was distant.

"Every last one?" Shane asked, playing with anything he could get his hands on he seemed pleased with himself as he spoke to Jenner.

"No, many couldn't face walking out the door. They opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time," Jenner spoke, his eyes glassy as he informed us of what happened, this made me frown and look down at the glass on the table.

"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asked the question all of us were thinking.

"I just kept working. Hoping to do some good," Jenner told us, but the way he spoke so bluntly made me want to question him futher. Instead we all stayed silent and sat there.

"Dude, you are such a buzz kill, man," Glenn told Shane as he got up and walked to another seat, all of us drowning in our thoughts as we sat and ate our food silently. When we were finished, Jenner decided to show us around the building as we walked along a hall and carried all our belongings.

"Most of the facility is powered down...including housing, so you'll have to make do here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy," Jenner told us but stopped to turn and look at the kids.

"Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power," Jenner told the kids as he leaned down to look at the two of them. "The same applies- if you shower, go easy on the hot water," he informs us as we looked through the doors and into the rooms. All of us stopping to the magic word. _Hot water._

"Hot water?" Glenn asked us as he looked at us from over his shoulder, he was clearly stunned and surprised that there was hot water in this place. _After all the time we've had at the creek with no hot water and just the cold creek, it wouldn't surprise me we all want heat in us._

"That's what the man said," T-Dog said as we headed towards the showers but saw it was only two. There could only be one person in the showers at a time. Deciding to go last, I grabbed both mine and Carl's stuff, leading us towards a room and placing our stuff there.

"Mom?" I asked her as she was fixing her own stuff in hers and dad's room, she looked at me with kind eyes and a smile. Her hair was slightly messy but possibly not as messy as mine, I had finally got it down and had taken off my bow and quiver. My holster belt was on the table in our room but I told Carl not to touch it, to go play with Sophia.

"Yeah honney?" she called to me as I looked around the halls in case anyone was wandering or hearing us. Dad had gone to talk to Shane, but mom was alone and fixing their stuff, settling into the room and I just walked over to her and shut the door behind us.

"I wanted to talk to you...about something important," I hint at her as I looked at the ground and she folded the cloth in her hands, crossing her arms as she walked to me and looked at me curiously.

"What about baby girl?" she asked me and I look up at her from under my lashes, my eyes flickering back down to my feet as I walked up to her and she placed her hands on my arms. Rubbing her hands up and down them comfortingly as she looked at me kindly, trying to make me look up at her as she ducked to my level. "Speak to me Kitten...you know I'll listen," she tells me kindly.

"It's about...Shane," I whisper and she slowly froze in place as she tensed up. I looked up at her slowly and shook my head at her. "I'm not judging you mom, you had your reasons but...he lied to us...to both of us and...whatever was happening between you and him have to stop if you still want to be with dad," I tell her trying to keep my voice level and not come across threatening.

"You...still want to be with dad right?" I ask her and she nods, her hazel eyes becoming wet but she quickly blinked away any tears that threatened to spill, her eyes focused on me and she gave me a small smile, rubbing my arms gently again and tapping my shoulders.

"I know baby girl...and yes...I do want to be with your father. I love him, very much and I don't know what happened between me and Shane but...that's long gone," she tells me with a small smile and soft eyes.

"Does dad know?" I ask her and she pursed her lip, she went to speak and bit her lip, her head shaking vigorously as she couldn't force herself to speak and possibly afraid of breaking down. "It's alright mom, as long as dad doesn't find out by anyone else...if you and Shane are truly over...all will be fine," I tell her comfortingly as I smiled and gently stepped away from her. Taking her hands in mine and giving them a small rub with my thumbs and a quick squeeze.

Heading back to the room, I grabbed my clothes and saw Carl had already had his shower and was just slipping on his top. Walking towards the shower, I had my towel in hand and walked to it, seeing mom going into one of the showers, I went to the other and finished up quickly.

When I was done, I wrapped myself in the towel and wandered down the hall, going into my room, I shut the door and dried up. Dropping the towel to the floor, I started to get changed when I felt a presence watching me and turned to see the door was slightly opened. Walking to it, I slipped my head out and looked to either side of the hall, no one was there and I shut the door as I finished off getting changed.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

I was drunk...drunk wasn't enough. Shitfaced. I was wandering the halls, grabbed another wine bottle and looked through the once opened door, to find it was opened slightly. When I peeped inside, I saw Kat stood there, in her sleep pants and in nothing but that. Her bare back curved as she rubbed her hair dry.

My eyes trailing her naked skin as I watched her figure in the shadows. Her muscles suddenly tensed, quickly I moved into my room silently and shut the door behind me. Hopeful that she didn't see me or notice me watching her.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Me, Carl, Sophia and Carol were all huddled in a corner of the room as we read a book. Carol was reading a book while the kids played a board game, I watched Carl with a small smile on my face. Mom giggled as she walked in, another glass of wine in her hand and a bright smile on her face. "Any good books?" she asked us and Carol looked up to her with a smile.

"Enough to keep us busy for years. All right. Come on, kids, it's bedtime," Carol told them as she got up and placed the book onto the table, the kids got up and began to walk to their rooms.

"Kat...are you coming to bed?" Carl asked me, his bright blues filled with wonder as he looked up at me. Giggling I nod, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, he ran off as I turned to mom, she was wet from the shower, fresh and clearly happy.

"I'm gonna browse a bit," mom told us as she looked around the multiple books, I smiled and watched as Carol walked off with Sophia trailing behind her.

"Come on Kat," Carl spoke as he took my hand in his and lead me towards our room, leaving mom there as Carol turned slightly to talk to mom, making us stop for a second as she spoke.

"This is the first night we might actually get some real sleep. It's a miracle, isn't it?" she said as she turned around and walked off, heading down the hall and into her room, Sophia following behind and as we were about to cuddle up in bed, I heard footsteps running towards our room. Sophia came in through the opened door and gave me a bright smile.

"Carl said you would sing for us," Sophia told me, Carol popping in to peek into our room and held her daughter by the shoulders. This made me look to Carl, eyebrows raised as I looked at his shy expression.

"Is that right?" I asked them both but more to Carl who hadn't informed me of any vocal exercises I would be doing today. Especially not to both him and Sophia. Carol gave me a sad smile as she tried to pull her daughter out of the room.

"You don't have to if you don't want to Kat," Carol told me softly but this made me smile and shake my head. Carl slipped his hand into mine, making me turn to look at him and see his bright blues looking up at me.

"Please Kat...sing for us," he pleaded, sighing I gave in and sat down on the bed with an excited Sophia and Carl. Carol sat beside me, watching me intently as I asked them what they wanted to hear. "My favourite song," he tells me and I just giggle. Nodding, I start to sing 'Fix You' by Coldplay.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

This had been my last bottle, I couldn't drink anymore and was too bored to be alone, just as I was about to go back into the dinning room to grab a bite to eat, I heard a soft voice...a song being sung. When I reached the room that held such a voice, it was gentle, sweet and peaceful. They were singing some...famous band I couldn't remember the name of anymore. It was a girl...

When I heard the voice, saw the bright blue eyes shut as she sang and open up to look at me, I gave her a slight smile. Resting against the door frame, watching her and the kids sitting around the bed. Carol watching the girl with a bright and pleased face. The song was comforting, as was the voice of the girl singing. _Beautiful...she's just...beautiful. _

When the song was over, the kids hurried back to their rooms and Carl crawled under the covers, Kat got up and kissed Carl's head. She then leaned over to kiss Sophia's head, giving Carol a hug they all left. Kat looked at me shyly but then pushed away and walked off, leaving Carl alone in bed, his eyes wide opened as he waited for his sister.

I gave the boy a silent nod before I went into the dinning room and grabbed something to eat, munching on it as I walked back into my room and passed out on the couch.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

I was surprised to see Daryl listening in and watching us. When it was over, we said our goodnight to each other and I walked off towards where my mom was last. I could hear whispers, growling, screaming and rustling. Walking closer to the voices, I realized it was the same place where we left mom, the voices getting louder as I got closer.

"Get your hands off me!" a woman's voice cried out, noises of people moving and fighting was becoming louder as I got towards the room. _Mom_ I gasped as my feet moved me quicker towards the room.

"I love you. There's nobody here," a male voice told her as I could recognise the voice. It was Shane, the sounds of struggles got even louder as I reached the room, opening the door a creek, I saw Shane had my mom pinned to a table.

"Please! No!" mom cried out as she tried to push Shane away, he kept touching her, in places he shouldn't and trying to silence her. Clearly drunk out of his mind and hurting my mother.

"Stop, Lori. It's all right. Just-" Shane tried to reason but I quickly slammed the door opened, closed it quietly and rushed towards the two.

"Shane!" I shouted angered as I felt my anger boil. Mom was crying, begging and she soon attacked him by digging her nails into his skin and scratching him. I walked up quickly to them and shoved him as far away from my mom as possible.

"Next time you touch my mom like you did today...you'll regret it...and it won't be just my dad you'll have to worry about. Got it?" I growled at him, pushing my chest up against his and glared at him evilly. He rubbed at his scratched up face and walked off, I hadn't realised my mom was holding onto my arms tightly.

When he left, mom began to sob loudly and tremble, turning to her I cupped her face and looked into her eyes. "Mom...are you alright?" I asked her, worry and sadness in my eyes as I looked into her red rimmed ones.

"He-he..." she began but soon her thoughts crumbled, sobbing as I ran my fingers through her hair comfortingly and kissed her head while I pulled her into my arms. Holding her close and kissing her temple, I whispered sweet nothings until she finally relaxed, slipping out of my arms and wandering back to her room.

I climbed into bed, snuggling under the covers and found a fast asleep Carl in bed. Giggling softly, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me. Kissing the top of his head as he snuggled up to me, pulling me to him as he nuzzled his head into my chest. This made me smile but sigh at the thought of mom, all afraid and sad. Slipping off to sleep, we soon woke to head towards the dinning room.

T-Dog had made us powdered eggs, but we ate them all the same and thanked him for it. Mom had told us that dad was most possibly hungover from what Jenner had told her. Giggling, Carl looked at us and asked us what it was like to be hung over, which made both me and mom explain to him how and what happens when we are hungover.

"Morning," dad said as his feet dragged along the ground, Glenn was in agony as he ate his eggs and held his head. Dad seemed more or less normal but it was clear he was hung over as he sat down to give us all a kiss on the head, giving mom a quick peck on the lips as he looked up when Carl spoke.

"Are you hungover? Mom said you'd be," Carl tells him, which made dad chuckle softly and me smile at the two of them.

"Mom is right," dad stated, not denying that he was in fact hungover from the drink he had last night.

"Mom has that annoying habit," mom teased as Carl munched on his cereal, giving me a small smile as I winked at him and this made him giggle.

"Eggs. Powdered, but- but I do 'em good. I bet you can't tell. Protein helps the hangover," T-Dog told us as he placed some in Glenn's plate and dad's. Glenn groaning as Jacqui rubbed at Glenn's shoulders.

"Where'd all this come from?" dad asked us curious as to where all this food and medicine came from.

"Jenner," I tell him as he struggled to open the medicine cap.

"Could you help me please?" dad asked mom politely. Which made mom nod and open it up for him as she chewed on some egg.

"He thought we could use it," she tells him as she passed him the medicine. Which earned he a 'thank you,' from mom. "Some of us, at least," mom said as she looked up at me and smiled. _Still sober..._

"Don't ever ever ever let me drink again," Glenn groaned out as he had his head in his hands, his hangover must have really fucked him up since he looked like death.

"Feel as bad as I do?" dad asked Shane as they exchanged hello's. Shane walking over to grab something from the counter.

"Worse," Shane answered as he grabbed some medicine for his hangover and walked back to the table to eat something.

"What the hell happened to you? Your neck?" T-Dog asked him as he got a good glimpse of the scratches mom left on his neck from last night. Both me and mom exchanged a glance as we both looked back down at our food quickly.

"I must have done it in my sleep," Shane tried to make up an excuse as dad just looked at the scratch quizzically.

"Never seen you do that before," dad admits as he thought back to all the times they shared and not once had Shane done something like that.

"Me neither. Not like me at all," Shane answered as he looked between both me and mom. Mom's eyes quickly flashed to me, worry hidden behind them as I gave her a soft look and small smile.

"Morning," Jenner said as he walked in, he looked a lot neater than he did yesterday and he moved towards the coffee. A bunch of 'hey doc's and 'morning's being thrown at him as he walked by.

"Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing-" Dale started from his seat, being polite as he spoke and watched the doctor pour coffee into his cup.

"But you will anyway," Jenner stated as the elder man looked down sadly before he opened his mouth to speak again.

"We didn't come here for the eggs," Andrea stated as Shane just rubbed his face, Dale's mouth shutting while he slowly turned and looked down at his food. Slowly Jenner turned around to look at us, gave us a nod and wordlessly walked towards the table, he ate his breakfast and indicated that we should follow him.

"Give me playback of TS-19," Jenner ordered the computer as he walked into the room with all the technology things. Everyone gathering in the room as we stared up at the screen.

"Playback of TS-19," the female machine answered robotically.

"Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few," Jenner informed us as we saw the documents load and the footage begin to show. It looked...like a moving x-ray but...more...accurate.

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked us confused, I looked down at him and gave him a quick nod.

"An extraordinary one," Jenner told Carl as he bent a little to get a good look at it, Carl looking up at the screen and smiled at it. His hand clutched mine gently as I felt his fingers slip into mine. "Not that it matters in the end. Take us in for E.I.V," Jenner announced and demanded of the machine, confusing us slightly with the weird names they gave things.

"Enhanced internal view," the machine spoke as she loaded an internal view of the brain, up close and watched in hushed tones.

"What are those lights?" Shane asked out to Jenner as I looked at him slightly surprised, even I knew what they were.

"Synapses," I mumbled and Jenner looked to me surprised, giving me a small smile while others looked at me confused and surprised. "I did some biology in my time," I tell Jenner and he just nods.

"Clever girl...you're right," he tells me as he looked up at the scan sadly, his eyes glued to the outline and inside of the brain as he marveled in it.

"It's a person's life...experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring...all those ripples of light, is you. The thing that makes you unique, and human," Jenner explained to Shane.

"You don't make sense ever?" Daryl questioned the man as he looked between me and Jenner, seeing as I knew a little about the bodily functions and the brain. _The brain has always been fascinating to me in all honesty._

"Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death," Jenner explained further as we all looked up at the image on the screen.

"Death?" dad questioned as he walked to stand by me and closer to Jenner. "That's what this is, a vigil?" dad questioned further as he looked at the screen and Jenner just looked at dad but then back to the person on the screen.

"Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil," Jenner said as he looked at dad but then back up at the screen.

"This person died? Who?" Andrea asked as she never took her eyes away from the screen, her voice cracked a little and she wandered forward absent-mindedly.

"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten and infected and volunteered to have us record the process. Vi, scan forward to the first event," Jenner explained, leaving out any names and then spoke up to the machine.

"Scanning to first event," the machine agreed as it gradually showed us what had happened to TS-19.

"What is that?" Glenn asked confused about what was happening from within the brain.

"The brain...it's dying...whoever this is, is...dying," I whispered but with how quiet the room was everyone heard it. No one moved or said a word, Jenner stayed silent for a few minutes as he stared up at the screen.

"It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brian goes into shutdown, then the major organs," Jenner explained as we witnessed the person on the screen die and the brain along with it. "Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be...gone," Jenner said dully, emotionless and staring up at the video.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked her mother shyly, trying to be quiet about it which just made Carl grip onto me tighter, moving him so he was hugging my side and placed a gentle kiss to his head.

"Yes," Carol told her daughter bluntly. All of us took a moment to process this and take in this information as well as we could. Andrea held back her tears as she shut her eyes and looked away.

"She lost somebody two days ago. Her sister," mom spoke up as she looked between Andrea, me and Carl. Her eyes stopping on Jenner as she spoke to him.

"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is," Jenner empathized as he stepped close enough to Andrea to explain what he knew about this. "Scan to the second event," he commanded the machine as it did as he said.

"Scanning to second event," the robot echoed his commands as it found what it was looking for and showed us more documents.

"The resurrection times vary wildly. We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute...seven seconds," Jenner informed us as we saw the body and brain slowly re-animate but...not fully.

"It restarts the brain?" I asked him and he shook his head, all of us edging closer to get a better look of what was happening on the screen.

"No, just the brain stem. Basically, it gets them up and moving..." Jenner explained as we all looked to one another and then back up at the patient.

"But they're not alive?" dad asked as he walked closer to Jenner, unsure of what exactly was going on and if anything made sense right now.

"You tell me," Jenner questioned my dad as he gestured for us to look at the video.

"It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark," dad answered and that was when we all looked to Jenner for a moment as the doctor spoke up.

"Dark, lifeless, dead. The frontal lobe, the neocortex. The human part...that doesn't come back. The you part. Just a shell driven by mindless instinct," Jenner spoke as he agreed with my dad. That these bodies just...roam, nothing else and of course...feed.

"God. What was that?" Carol asked as we saw the patient begin to move and come back to life, before it could move any further there was a sudden slash through the brain.

"He shot his patient in the head. Didn't you?" I asked him and he didn't answer, instead he walked away and didn't look to any of us.

"Vi, power down the main screen and the workstations," Jenner ordered and sudden the screen shut itself down and all he did was begin to walk off.

"Powering down main screen and workstations," the machine replied to Jenner as the screen went black and turned itself off.

"You have no idea what it is, do you?" Andrea asked, her voice shaking lightly as tears formed in her eyes.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal," Jenner tried to determine but even then he sounded like he doubted he truly knew what was happening and how to prevent it any further.

"Or the wrath of god?" Jacqui spoke up, her tone dull and lifeless, as though she had thought about this for a long enough time to believe it.

"There is that," Jenner agreed but didn't at the same time. _He just...clearly doesn't know what this is. At all..._

"Somebody must know something. Somebody somewhere," Andrea hoped as she looked to the doctor, walking closer to him as she spoke.

"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asked him further, clutching her daughter to her tightly as they looked to Jenner for answers.

"There may be some. People like me," Jenner suggested as he looked to Carol and her daughter. He sounded hopeful...but not enough.

"But you don't know? How can you not know?" dad questioned the man as he got up to get close to Jenner, his body was tense as I tried to calm him down by placing my hand on his chest, he looked down at me and looked to Carl who was clutching my hand desperately.

"Everything went down. Communications, directives...all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month," Jenner explained to us as we all tried to take in the information he had just fed us. _And hell is it hard to swallow..._

"So it's not just here. There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That's what you're really saying, right?" Andrea continuously asked him, I could see mom in the distance breathing shakily, her eyes wide and her body stiff. I looked to her with soft eyes. _There is always a chance...there is always a way._

We all reacted in different ways, dad stepping back, Andrea shaking her head and Jacqui sighing out a quick 'Jesus'. "Man, I'm gonna get soon faced drunk again," Daryl said as he walked to one side, rubbing at his eyes and face.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you...and I hate to ask one more question, but...that clock...it's counting down. What happens at zero?" Dale asked the final question as he walked to a clock that had been counting down. We all looked to it and saw there was only an hour left.

"The basement generators...they run out of fuel," Jenner informed us as he walked away, leaving us there watching him leave and look to the clock. _Less than an hour now..._

"And then?" dad asked him but Jenner didn't answer, he just kept walking away from us all and left us there to think over what just happened and panick over what could happen when the generators run out of power.

"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" I called up to the computer as we all looked up to hear the female robotic voice talk to us.

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur," Vi told us, which made me tense up at the thought of what this could be. _Wait...are we...no. That can't be. _I looked down to Carl as we all parted ways when the men decided to check how much fuel we had left. Me, mom and Carl went to mom's room where we all sat together on the couch, waiting for news to come about the fuel.

Suddenly we couldn't feel the breeze anymore, just the heat of Georgia as we sat there becoming more sticky with sweat. Mom got up to reach the air vents, only to stand there waving her hand back and forth, both me and Carl looking at her weirdly.

"Mom? Something wrong?" Carl asked her politely, curious about what was wrong and why she was up in such a position.

"Nothing. It's just...the air conditioning stopped," mom told us as she turned her head a little to look at us, she stayed there, stood still and looking up worriedly. This made me cuddle up Carl in my arms as I held him tightly to me.

"Why is the air off?" mom asked Jenner as we all began to poke our heads out to the sound of Jenner's footsteps coming closer to us.

"And the lights in our room?" Carol asked her as we all began to follow Jenner, throwing questions to him as he walked towards the computer room.

"What's going on? Why is everything turned off?" Daryl asked as he swung from his door frame, a bottle of wine in his hand. Walking past him, shaking my head and taking the bottle from him.

"Now is not the time to get drunk, especially if I think what's happening is about to happen," I tell him and he just grumbles, following closely to us all as we trailed behind Jenner who hadn't spoken to us a single word while we followed him.

"Energy use is being prioritized," Jenner tells us as he continued to walk.

"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Dale asked him confused of what was more important in this facility. Jenner just shook his head and walked past the elder man.

"It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down," Jenner told us numbly, he continued to walk and this was when Daryl suddenly decided to push me and my family behind him gently, reaching the doctor as he looked to the man angered.

"Hey! Hey, what the hell does that mean? Hey man, I'm talking to you. What do you mean it's shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?" Daryl continued to ask Jenner, Daryl's tone slightly threatening as he got to Jenner's side, Daryl's stride was angry and masculine with every step he took.

"You'd be surprised," Jenner mumbled and mom quickly looked over the railing when we heard footsteps coming from underneath us.

"Rick?" mom called down to dad which made both me and Carl looked down to see dad raise his hand to the three of us and rushed towards the doctor.

"Jenner, what's happening?" dad asked Jenner, confused and angered about what was happening. _He's probably angry because he doesn't know what is happening._

"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule," Jenner explained as he stopped by the stairs of the computers. All of us right behind him as we all paused too. "It was the French," Jenner blurted out which made all of us confused.

"What?" Andrea asked him confused as she took a step towards him.

"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways...they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution," Jenner told us as we looked at him, listening to every word he had to say.

"What happened?" I asked him, unsure of what could have made them stop if they were close enough.

"The same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" Jenner commented as he turned his back on us and continued to the computers.

"Let me tell you-" Shane began but dad just called out to him as Shane followed Jenner angered. He shrugged my dad off as he stormed closer to the doctor.

"To hell with it. I don't even care," dad said as he looked to the rest of us, Shane stopped and leaned against a computer desk. "Lori, Kat, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We're getting out of here now!" dad ordered the rest of us. Jacqui mumbled a 'oh, okay' as we all began to turn around to head towards the hallway.

Suddenly there was an alarm blaring out repeatedly, causing everyone to turn back around and look at Jenner. "What's that?" Shane asked panick stricken as I saw Carl look up to me, his hands gripping my arm as he repeated Shane's question up at me. His bright blue eyes filled with worry and uncertainty.

"Doc, what's going on here?" T-Dog shouted over the alarm.

"Everybody, y'all heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go! Go now!" Shane ordered us as we all began to turn back around and this was when dad ordered us to go too. Following us and trying to push us towards the hallway.

Suddenly we heard a door slam shut, the one to the entrance that we came through, the hallway...was locked up tightly. Dad went to run to it but stopped when he saw the door shut quicker than he could run to it. "Did you just lock us in?" Glenn asked Jenner but got no reply from the doctor. "He just locked us in!" Glenn shouted to the rest of us as I clutched Carl tightly to me.

"We've hit the 30-minute window. I am recording," Jenner began to talk into the screen as he sat down at the desk. "Carl! Kat!" mom called to us as she ran to us, clutching us both as she kissed the top of our heads. Carl screamed out for her as she reached us and we all clutched each other desperately.

"You son of a bitch!" Daryl began to run towards the doctor, angered as he went to go and attack Jenner. Dad called out for Shane as both Shane and T-Dog tried to restrain Daryl from being able to hurt Jenner. "You let us out of here! You lying-" Daryl was cut off as they removed Daryl's weapon and pulled him away from the doctor.

"Hey, Jenner, open that door now," dad growled as he walked to the man angered, I kept a tight grip on both mom and Carl as Carl cried. Mom holding us both as she tried not to cry herself, my eyes dry as I focused my attention on the scene going on between Jenner and the others.

"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed," Jenner tried to explain, giving a shit excuse for us not being able to leave.

"Well, open the damn things," Daryl growled out, hopeful that this man had the power to do so.

"That's not something I control. The computers do. I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that," Jenner said as he looked directly at my dad. Then browsed around to look at each of our faces. "It's better this way," Jenner told us all absent-mindedly, as though we would all know what he was talking about.

"What is? What happens in 28 minutes?" dad asked Jenner as he got up close and bared his teeth, dad's eyes drifting to the clock and back down to Jenner. "What happens in 28 minutes?!" dad screamed after Shane hit Jenner to get his attention.

"COME ON! You know what this place is?! We protected the public from very nasty stuff!" Jenner screamed as he got to his feet and shouted back at dad and at Shane. "Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!" Jenner screamed out as he looked at each and every one of us.

"In the event of a catastrophic power failure...in a terrorist attack, for example...H.I.T's are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out," Jenner spoke after he calmed down and sat down on his desk.

"H.I.T's?" dad asked confused as he started to change the weight of his foot every so often.

"Vi, define," Jenner told the computer as he stared at the ground dully.

"HITs. High-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives, cocoists of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired," the computer told us as half way people walked to their loved ones.

Dad walked to us, wrapping his arms tightly around us as he pressed a kiss to both mine and Carl's foreheads, then gently kissing mom's lips as he held us all to him. Carl sobbing into the group hug as he clutched us frightened.

"It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sorrow, grief...regret. Everything," Jenner spoke as though he had no emotion left, as though he had been drained and knew it was the end of it all. This made dad walk away from us, mom let go of us slowly and Carl clutch to me tightly. His tears soaking through my shirt as I held him to me tightly and tried to stop his crying.

Daryl took the wine bottle that I had placed onto the table without realizing up and threw it against the door exit. "Open the damn door!" Daryl yelled to the doctor.

"Out of my way!" Shane shouted as he ran up to the door with an axe in hand, trying to knock the door down and someone passed another axe up to Daryl. The two of them slamming their axe into the glass but causing not even a scratch. I was too focused on my baby brother crying than on anything else that was going on.

"You should've left well enough alone. It would've been so much easier," Jenner spoke to mom, me, Carl, Carol and Sophia.

"Easier for who?" I questioned him and this just made him look at us dully.

"All of you. You know what's out there...a short, brutal life and an agonizing death," he looked to all of us, his eyes landing to Andrea's equally dull face but filled with her own thoughts as they ran through her mind. "Your-your sister...what was her name?" Jenner asked to Andrea.

"Amy," Andrea answered him plainly, short and simple.

"Amy," Jenner repeated, taking in the name as he spoke to Andrea. "You know what this does. You've seen it," he urged to all of us. "Is that really what you want for your wife and kids?" Jenner asked up at dad but this made dad angry as he got up close to Jenner again.

"I don't want this," dad whisper growled to Jenner as we could see the sweat drip from dad. _Probably from stress and tension in this room. We're locked in a room where we're about to become roast dinner for the walkers._

"Can't make a dent," Shane said exhausted from the work he had been doing to the door, Daryl continued to hack at it but nothing was happening.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher," Jenner tells us as we looked to him surprised they even designed doors like that.

"Well, your head ain't!" Daryl screamed as he went to slice Jenner's head off, his face red from the swinging of the axe earlier and now from anger. The others began to pull Daryl back again, watching as Daryl finally moved away and tried to calm down.

"You do want this," Jenner said as he stood up and looked at dad. "Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead," Jenner said as dad stayed silent, his eyes roaming to look down at the three of us. My heart pounding in my chest.

"You really said that?" I asked him and felt the tears and anger build up within me. My bottom lip wanted to tremble but I held it back as I stood up slowly. "After all your big talk?" I questioned him as I saw him look at me with sadness in his eyes. He went to reach for my face and I quickly moved myself away from him. Looking away from him, to the side and shutting my eyes tightly.

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" dad said as he growled at me. Trying to reason his actions and thoughts to me.

"There is no hope...there never was," Jenner began to tell us all, his eyes glued to dad as he spoke.

"Shut up! Just shut up," I shouted at Jenner as I shoved him forcefully. "There's always hope. Maybe it won't be you, maybe not here...but somebody...somewhere-" I say as my voice trembled a little from the fear of what was happening, that my dad kept his thoughts to himself and that..._he doesn't have hope that we'll live. _

"What part of 'everything is gone' do you not understand?" Andrea asked me in a dull tone, looking up at me as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event," Jenner spoke bullshit as we all stood or sat there, dad looking at the three of us, Carl crying into mom's chest as she held him tightly.

"This isn't right. You can't just keep us here," Carol sobbed out to Jenner, pleadingly as she could barely even look at him.

"One tiny moment. A millisecond. No pain," Jenner talked as he leaned towards the two sat on the floor in front of him.

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!" Carol cried out as she held onto Sophia for dear life.

"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?" Jenner questioned her, but before Carol could reply Shane was walking towards us again with his shotgun at hand.

"Shane, no!" dad tried to stop Shane.

"Out of the way, Rick! Stay out of my way!" Shane shouted to dad as he cocked the gun and aimed it at Jenner's head. "Open that door or I'm gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?!" Shane growled at Jenner but I ignored the rest of the conversation.

Grabbing an axe, I began to hit at the door, grunting with every swing in hope to get it opened. I heard gunshots but I didn't bother about them and kept swinging. I then heard footsteps come up behind me. "What the hell are you doin'?" Daryl's rough voice asked as he watched me.

I didn't turn to look at him as he talked to me. "I'm not giving up. That's my family there...there's always a chance. Always hope, and I'm going to get them out of here. All of us out of here," I tell him and he just shows me an axe that he was holding.

"Mind if I join you then?" he asked me and I shrugged as I continued to swing down forcefully.

"Knock yourself out," I tell him and we silently swung at the door, our axe's clinking and clanging as we tried to smash the door opened. Not giving up while the others spoke between themselves. Suddenly we heard the sounds of buttons being pressed and the door opened rapidly. All of us running out, but I quickly turned back and told them to keep running, that I'll make it in time.

Running back, I grabbed my weapons and a few huge books and a few small ones, shoving them into my backpack as I ran towards the hall again. I heard Dale trying to convince Andrea to join him, running out there was a loud bang, making me gasp and run faster. I saw everyone begin to climb out the windows, following closely dad gave me a nod as mom grasped for my hand.

My hand slipping out of hers as I grabbed my machete and began to slice at the walkers who heard us coming. A walker I jumped over, surprised me and grabbed me, causing me to tumble to the ground and fall to the floor. It's body trying to climb up mine as it clutched at my foot. Kicking it's face with my free foot, I kept kicking it until I reached my handgun and shot it.

Suddenly, a hand reached me and picked me up. "Come on!" Daryl's rough voice called to me as he ran us towards his truck, opening the door he shoved me inside and I rolled over so he could squeeze in beside me. The sound of an explosion fired off as I looked up slowly, hearing the sound of fire going off as I peeked up after Daryl did. "They made it," Daryl mumbled surprised as he saw Dale and Andrea stumble towards the cars.

Sitting up, I buckled myself in and gripped onto my backpack tightly. We were both sat there panting for a long time as we watched the flames rise high above the sky. Daryl started up the truck and slowly we all began to drive off, towards wherever dad was leading us. Eventually we stopped outside of Atlanta, heading towards the place we met Guillermo and the residential people.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

Hopping down from my truck, I pulled out my crossbow and waited for Kat to show up next to me, she rushed to get to her family as I trailed behind her. We were heading to Guillermo's hide out. "Thought they were barely hanging on, what makes you think they'll take in strangers?" Andrea asked us as she walked towards the windows.

I was checking around to see if there were any walkers around, only one or two were wandering around in the distance. "With all the guns we gave 'em a part they better throw us a party," I inform the group with small sarcasm in my joke. "Good call...for once," I tell Rick as I walked ahead a little, checking for walkers and finding non.

Glenn jumped over the glass window, then T-Dog, me and the others. Kat helping both her mom and Carl to get over the window carefully. No one was coming out of the doors, from their supposedly look outs they would have patrolling the area. "Where are the lookouts?" Glenn questioned as he looked at Rick.

We soon turned a corner, seeing walkers feeding on those who were once here and taking a stand for this hell hole. _I knew we shouldn't have given them the guns!_ "Ah...son of a bitch," Shane muttered as he walked into the small clearing. The others following behind, Kat, her dad, Shane, T-Dog and anyone with guns raised them.

The walkers soon noticed us, moving their heads away from their munch fest, they looked up at us and began to rise to their feet. Stumbling towards us as Rick moved closer, to the very front and raised his gun. "T'hell with the noise," he growled and we all began to shoot. Kat included started to gun walkers down until they were all dead on the floor. "Come on! On me!" Rick ordered the others to follow him when all the walkers were dealt with.

We opened up the doors and wandered the hallways, they were all empty, other than all the corpses and flies that surrounded the bodies. "Keep the voices down, come on," Shane instructed as we wandered down the halls. Keeping close together, we tried to stay silent and calm. As to not attract attention.

The sounds of a girl crying caught my attention. _So loud and annoying...please...shut the fuck up. She's going to get us killed. _"Put a sock in it!" I growled at the little girl and her mother. "Jesus christ!" I whisper shouted at them.

"You leave her alone," the mom told me, her eyes giving me death glares as she held tightly to her daughter.

"You shut her up or I will!" I growled at the woman as she looked at me with mad eyes. Getting evil looks from both Carol and Lori.

"Back the hell off and I mean now!" Lori growled at me as Kat looked at me mad and disgusted by what I said to them. Carl was clutching onto both his mom and Kat. "Are we staying or going?" Lori asked of her husband as she held onto her kids.

"We don't have the fuel," Rick tried to tell us of the situation. That there wouldn't be enough fuel to let us reach anywhere safe enough to call shelter. Especially not at this hour, it was getting dark and we needed to get some rest.

"We hunker down for the night, okay? You, me and Daryl we're going to sweep the building, make sure we're alone," Shane told us as we all nod and were all panting. Rick turned to look at the rest of the group.

"Use those to barricade those doors," Rick told them as he pointed to the hospital beds and we wandered down the halls to check the rest of the building. Finding more and more dead bodies, I stopped to speak to one telling them of how great of an idea it was.

Rick started to slow down, walking beside me as we searched the place, it was empty from what it looked like. He looked to me, making me watch him from the corner of my eye and give him a questioning glance. "I wanted to...ah...thank you. For saving my daughter back there from that walker," he told me and I just kept walking.

"Don't need to thank me. She saved herself, all I did was lift her to her feet," I inform him and he just looks forward then to me again. His eyes trailing me as though he was checking to see if I was lying or if I was acceptable...or something. _God knows what the fuck is going on in this guy's head._

"Still...I'm grateful for what you did back there...thank you," he told me and we continued to walk forward. Checking the entire building before we all grouped up in the big hall, where we had seen that old man suffering from an asthma attack.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

We had barricaded the doors, instead of using an arrow from a shot I could possibly miss, we all crouched down and waited for the walker to wander off. Sophia was crying but Carl tried to calm her down, when the walker finally left, T-Dog told us to hurry, leading us all into the hall and meeting up with Daryl, Shane and dad.

"Upstairs is our best bet, we've cleared a few rooms, we can barricade those if we have to," dad tried to reassure us as I held Carl close to me, mom's hand resting on both mine and Carl's. "We'll be alright," he told us and we all just nod, all except Carol.

"Do you mean it this time? Or are you just lying to us like all the times before," Carol said which made me frown and mom sigh. Dad just looked down and then back up, but this time it was to my eyes, that was until mom spoke up and was talking to Carol.

"That's unfair and no help at all," mom defended dad as we all stood there, Carol holding onto her daughter who sat on her lap and clutched her doll tightly to her. I saw my dad changing the weight on his legs from time to time, while Glenn looked around stunned and numbly.

"What the hell happened?" Glenn asked as his voice was dull, lifeless and clearly saddened of what happened to this place. Andrea was wandering, looking at the bodies and made us look at her when she spoke.

"What do you think? They got overrun," she said but this made Daryl circle her like she was some prey. Andrea was stood by the bodies, her arms folded over her chest and he back to us. Daryl made a noise which made Andrea's head turn to look at him. "Something to say?" she questioned.

"Yeah..." Daryl started as he got closer to her, his face vicious as he was already thinking about what he wanted to say. "How about 'observant'?" Daryl asked her and she looked at him stunned and slightly unsure where he was going about this.

"Observant. Big word coming from a guy like you, three whole syllables!" Andrea mocked as she looked to the bodies then back at the redneck. _Why are they insulting each other like that? It's not getting any of us anywhere. Everyone is being so...mean. _

"Walkers didn't do this," Daryl stated as we all looked at the bodies laid out on the floors. "Geeks didn't show up until _all_ this went down," Daryl told us as he looked down at the bodies. "Somebody attacked this place, killed all these people, took whatever they wanted, they're all shot in the head...execution style," he informed us as dad checked their bodies, in fact-finding gun shots in their heads.

"Ya'll worried about walkers? I'd be much more worried about the people who did all this," Daryl told us as he walked around. "Get a dictionary. Look it up...observant," Daryl said as he pointed to his brain. Andrea stood there, looking stunned and insulted at the same time.

We all began to walk upstairs and into one of the rooms they cleared, just as I was about to enter, dad pulled me back and I saw Carl turn to look at us. "Kat? Dad?" Carl called to us confused about why we stopped, I looked up at dad's eyes searching for any answers and was surprised to see unsaid words.

Mom pulled Carl inside, reassuring him that we'd be fine and when everyone was inside he looked me right in the eye. "Kat..." he began as he tried to reach up to touch my face, twisting my head away from his touch again as I felt my jaw clench. "Katherine..." he tried again his voice sad but when he went to speak, I broke him off.

"Don't," I growled at him. "All these years...you told me that there was always a chance...always hope for a better future. Yet...when it comes to this world you think...we can't survive?" I questioned him, my voice angered and quizzical as I spoke.

"Now I never said tha-" he tried again but I stopped him again and took two steps away from him. He looked at me sad and desperate to try and get things right with me.

"Dad...you wanted to give up. You didn't think we would survive longer than you probably expected. While you lost hope, I never lost mine but...I'm losing my hope in you. Thing is dad...while you were sulking and arguing over the doors, I saw that pain and fear rush through mom and Carl's minds. Their sadness at the fact you didn't have faith in them...in me...my own father," I tell him.

"At the moment I saw their hearts break...I would have done everything I could to save them because...for me...as long as I have you, mom and Carl...I have hope. I have a chance at making things better. One day at a time," I tell him and he frowned at me deeply.

"Also...you just placed yourself as our leader...with being a leader you have responsibilities. Such as...'keeping the hope alive' and well...here's a tip dad...you either change...or start believing your lies," I tell him and walked off. Leaving him there to his thoughts as I turned my back and headed into the room. I saw the others all eating and drinking their water.

Andrea seemed half dead, Dale seemed guilty and Glenn seemed shocked. Daryl was opening a bottle of alcohol, Shane and Daryl had been drinking from a bottle of wine, T-Dog had first watch and when dad came into the room, we had been deciding what we would do.

We were to head towards Fort Benning. Glenn still seemed shocked and phased by the ones who died in the residential home. The men all got outside of the room and talked to themselves outside. It had been two hours since we ate, Daryl had taken watch and I was sick and tired of my dad watching me out the corner of his eye.

I walked out of the room, Carl was reading a comic book I had saved in my back pack and I stood besides Daryl. My hands in my back pockets as I looked down at him, he had the bottle in his hands and would rarely drink from it. "Mind if I join you?" I ask him and he just shrugged.

Sitting down next to him by the stairs, I took the drink from his hands and took a sip. Passing it back to him, we kept it moving back and forth, both of us taking sips in turns. "I'm uh...really sorry about what happened to Merle...truly. I don't know what I would be like if it was me in your place and Carl had been in that situation. I'm...sorry we didn't find him either," I tell him.

He seemed to stay silent while I kept talking. "You need to stop blaming others for what happened, like my dad...T-Dog...Glenn. It's not their fault entirely," I tell him but he just stayed silent. Taking a sip, he passed it back to me and I took my swig of the drink. "In all honesty...I believe everything happens for a reason...fate," I tell him and he continued to stay silent. Watching me.

"Like the CDC where I found out my dad is...uh..." I took another swig and passed it him, looking down at my feet, I looked back at the drink and held the bottle in my hands. "The reason we gave those people our ammo and guns was...even if you don't like it...the right thing. Not just because they were good people but...because they had hope. A reason to keep fighting...a vision," I tell him.

"To have those...it makes everything worth fighting for. To keep surviving...to get through this," I tell him and he stayed silent. "So...that's why we gave it them. It may have been a shitty reason to you but...I value people who have the strength to keep going, even when they feel like they don't have a chance at all in this world," I tell him and he stayed silent. Taking a final swig, I handed him the bottle and walked back into the room.

Cuddling Carl, I fell asleep quickly enough and kept him close to me. Our breathing slow as I let my dreams take me to a far away place. Far enough to forget about the hell I'm living through these past few months that have gone by...

* * *

><p><strong>Season 1...wrapped! What did you think? Can't wait for season 2? It will stay on this story so don't worry! Do you guys want more? Can I have 5 reviews? That way I'll post as quickly as I can. Do you guys think I'm playing Daryl true to character? <strong>

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	7. Chapter 7: Swept

Chapter 7: Swept

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~Day of the shooting~_

_I had drove as fast as I could, Shane phoned me earlier telling me my dad was shot. I had to get there, to be there for mom and Carl. That it shouldn't be all of us dealing with it alone but together. As what we were...a family. When I finally pulled up, I saw mom was chatting to a friend and this was when I ran to her. She saw me and looked at me surprised. "Kat...what are you doing here?" she asked me, hugging me back confused._

_"I'm here because of dad...did...did you not hear about it?" I asked her uncertain if she knew what happened. She gave me a look of a blank page in a book. She wasn't following what I was saying and that was when I was about to open my mouth to respond. The sounds of police cars rang as they drove and pulled up to stop by us. _

_Shane climbed out and walked towards us, he looked at us sadly and this was mom's eyes widened. "__Is he alive?" she asked him as she looked between the two of us, unsure if she should be worried or sobbing. _

_"He's in surgery," he tells us but I had already known this. _

_"How?" mom asked quick as lightning. The sound of the school bell ringing and the chatter of children echoing in our ears. _Dear God...Carl...he's...how the fuck are we going to tell him dad got shot?

_"There was a radio call that said that there was two suspects in a car, but there was a third man. Somebody screwed up. I screwed up. I ju- I did not see him in time...Lori, Kat...it's my fault," Shane explained to us. He seemed so...lost and upset over all of this. _

_"I-I don't believe that," mom said as she stepped to stand beside Shane. Carl then stepped out and walked towards us, his grip on the backpack tight and his smile bright. We all waved to him but I saw my mom swallow hard from the corner of my eye. "What do I say? How do I tell my son his father's been shot?" she asked us. _

_"You don't have to do it alone mom," I tell her as I slipped my fingers into her hand, she gripped onto my hand tightly and gave me a nod. Slowly we walked towards Carl._

_"Okay," Shane said as he saw us both walk away, hand in hand and stop in front of Carl. The two of us crouching to look directly at Carl._

_"Carl...baby," mom began as she held back her tears and looked up at Carl. _

_"Carl...dad's been shot," I tell him and he looked at me sad, his eyes wide and they soon began to cry. "Please...don't cry. He's in surgery and he'll be fine. Right now...I need you to stay strong. No tears and chin up. Dad would want us to put up a brave face and to keep firm. No cracks. Remember?" I tell him and Carl just nods down at me. Giving me a sad but small smile, his tears slipping less and his bottom lip wobbling more._

_Carl gave us a nod and kept his tears in as much as he could. "Yeah...a brave face for dad. He'd want that," he tells us and this makes mom wipe his tears away with her thumb. Mom kissing both our heads lightly from the fact we were all being united as a family and sticking together. To get through this stronger than we would separated._

_We pulled each other into a hug, mom whispered that everything would be alright and that we'd get through this. That dad would make it and that we were to be strong now. Together, not apart._

* * *

><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

We were heading out, fixing our stuff and Carl helped me put in the comics and books I had brought along with me for his entertainment to slip them into my backpack. Zipping it up, I handed it mom and told the others I was going to go tell dad we were ready to leave. Dad had to go up to the top floor, to get a good view of the sunrise, to speak to that...Morgan person. The man who helped dad get back to us.

"Can it? 125 miles. That's what lies ahead...and I'm trying hard not to lose faith. I can't," dad said into the walkie-talkie sadly. "If I do, the others...my family, my wife...my kids. There's just a few of us now. So we've got to stick together, fight for each other," dad told the man on the walkie-talkie, he seemed upset but...hopeful.

"Be willing to lay down our lives for each other if it comes to that. It's the only chance we've got. Be careful out there, Morgan. I hope you and Duane are okay. Stay off the road. Keep moving. Keep your eyes open. I don't know, just...just be safe. Maybe we'll see you in Fort Benning someday. Rick signing off," dad spoke to the walkie-talkie, when he was done he turned to look at me and looked down at the walkie-talkie in his hands.

"We're ready to leave, just wanted to tell you," I tell him and he nods, both of us wandering back down the stairs and into the room where everyone else was. We went to the cars slowly and quietly. I climbed into the little amount of room dad had in the back of the car, sitting in it as I moved some things to one side. Carol, Sophia and Carl all sat behind mom and dad.

"Just thinking about our trip to the Grand Canyon with the kids," mom said after a small giggle and a warm smile to me, dad and Carl. Both me and dad laughing at the memory, of baby Carl who couldn't control himself and got sick.

"I don't remember that," Carl spoke up which made me also giggle.

"No, you wouldn't. You were just a baby," I tell him as I ruffled his hair and he flattened it down pouting to himself which made me laugh. Dad saw us and shook with his small chuckle.

Besides, we never made it past Fort Worth," mom told him as she smiled at both me and dad.

"No, you got sick. I never knew a baby could throw up so much," dad said chuckling as he drove, this made mom smile widely and giggle at that statement. Carl answered with a disgusted 'ick' which made me laugh more in the back.

"Yeah, ick," I state and he just turned his head to look at me, pulling a grossed out face and then sticking his tongue out at me. This made me reach out to grab his tongue which made him quickly stick it back into his mouth. The rest of us in the car giggling at mine and Carl's interaction.

"The doctor in Texas said you'd live. Then we turned around and drove home," mom concluded the story for us as she was pondering in her thoughts.

"That sucks," Carl told them, upset that we didn't have the trip we wanted.

"No, it was a good trip," mom said pleased, happy with this memory as I thought about that time. How we turned around and headed home because baby Carl was so sick. _I can still remember it like it was yesterday._

"The best," I agreed as we all smiled and Carl had his small smile playing on his lips, his eyes looking down at his hands while he fiddled his thumbs.

"Can we go see it? The Grand Canyon? I'd like to," Carl spoke to mom and dad as he looked at them through the mirrors, his tone seemed hopeful and wanting. _He really wants to go to The Grand Canyon after our first experience?_

"I would too. Can we go?" Sophia asked softly, her voice quiet and timid. She looked at my parents and then back to her mom.

"We'd never go without you and your mom. That's a promise," dad said which made me smile at him. Sophia gently rested her head on her mom's shoulder while Carl turned his head a little to look at me, leaning in he gave me a kiss on the cheek and it made me smile from ear to ear. We had to stop for a few minutes while Daryl and Dale led us through a wave of cars that had all been abandoned or where people died in their cars during the disaster.

We finally stopped when we saw Dale's RV stop, coming to a slow halt and the look of steam coming from it got us all to climb out. Dad wandered towards Dale first, the rest of us getting out of the car and walking towards the RV. "I said it. Didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water," Dale spoke as he got out of the RV and walked to the radiator hose.

"Problem, Dale?" Shane asked him as we all gathered around together and watched as Dale began his rant about the radiator hose and chances in fixing it.

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of...okay, that was dumb," Dale admitted as his sentence drifted off when he realized where we were.

"If you can't find a radiator hose here..." Shane said not needing to finish the sentence but was soon enough cut off by Daryl who was already searching through the boot of cars.

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find," Daryl spoke as he picked up things from cars and put them somewhere safe for us.

"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start," T-Dog said as he looked around and walked towards a few cars. _We could really use that and maybe some other supplies..._

"Maybe some water," Carol spoke up, reading my mind and making me look down at Carl. Placing my arm around his side, to pull him tightly to me and watched as others talk.

"Or food," I spoke up, hopeful that we would find the things we needed.

"This is a graveyard," mom told us which made us all freeze and think over what she had just said. Sighing I looked to her and stood close enough so that we were face to face.

"Mom...you need to remember...these people are dead and have no use for what we need. This is survival and...the way I see it...these people are helping us do as such...survive. If they were all still alive and in our position...I'm sure they would do the same," I tell her and she gulped, taking in the view surrounding us and nodding.

"I don't know how I feel about this," mom said as I turned, she seemed to be stubborn about her own thoughts and it made me sad but...I respected them.

"All right, all right, here we go. Come on, y'all. Just look around, gather what you can," Shane instructed as we all got our weapons and began to walk around, searching cars and other things that could be around. I stuck beside mom, Carol, Carl and Sophia.

"Kids, don't look," Carol said as she looked inside a car which had a dead body inside, laying in its car as it was slowly decomposing, flies all over it and I stood against the door so the kids wouldn't be able to peek.

We had been wandering around for a while, packing things into my backpack like food and some water bottles. In mom's backpack we placed clothes into it and found some that we liked or would soon need that actually fit us. "Ed never let me wear nice things like this," Carol said as she lifted a red top, examining it, she caught both me and mom watching.

Placing it against her body to see if it would fit, she slowly folded it up and laid it back where it was. "We're gonna need clothes," Carol stated as she changed her mind and picked up the top, placing it into the backpack mom had. I was slipping food supplies into my bag when I heard mom call out to me and Carl.

"Hey, Carl, Kat. Always within my sight, okay?" mom told us, making the gesture with her hands and this was when Carl nodded and I just do the same. Carl called me over to tell me he had found some food, he stood beside me as he watched me pack the food away.

"You too, Sophia," Carol spoke to her daughter who gave a quick and quiet nod as we continued to scavenge. Gathering up as much as we could when I heard light running footsteps rush towards us.

"Lori, under the cars. Carl, Kat, Sophia, get down now!" dad whisper shouted to us, signaling for us to get under the cars. Quickly I placed my backpack in the boot of an open car, slipping my bow and quiver off and ducking under the car with Carl. Both of us shuffling closer together as we saw Sophia under a car alone, mom and dad were either in front or next to me and Carl.

The slow sweeping of feet as they stepped lazily around the cars, dad would whisper to us to stay silent and I would tightly hold Carl to me. The two of us breathing heavily, trying to calm our adrenaline pumped veins from the fear of possibly getting caught and saw that the walkers slowly moved further away from us.

Mom tightly held onto Carol's mouth, as Carol's eyes became red and watery. Fear was evident in her eyes as she stared at her daughter. Gradually the shuffling began to stop, it seemed that there weren't many left or...non at all. We waited a few moments more just in case there were any stragglers that were too slow to stick to the herd.

Just as we were all calmer, surer that the walkers were all gone, from the corner of my eye I saw movement, Sophia was to my right under a different car and she began to shuffle out. Looking up, she saw something that made her gasp and me to stare at her wide-eyed. My view was soon blocked by a walker trying to grab at her, she was sobbing and screaming as she slipped out. The walker got to its feet as it soon saw her get out, I then heard another pair of feet stumbling towards her.

She ran towards the woods from what I could hear, the shuffling coming from my left made me and Carl both look towards dad who had got out from under. He ran towards the woods and chased after Sophia and the walkers. When everything became quiet, we carefully slipped out from under, I then heard running as Carol was going to go after them. After dad and Sophia.

"Lori. There's two walkers are after my baby," Carol said as mom ran after her, grabbing her and silencing her with her hand again. Gently telling her to hush as she held tightly to Carol. We all stood there for a while, waiting for their return. We soon found out that T-Dog had been cut by a door and that dad didn't find Sophia but that she was safe. Sophia hadn't returned.

* * *

><p>"Sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked dad as he led us to a small pool of water. A small enough hiding spot was found and it was where dad had supposedly left her. I had decided to join them in finding Sophia, seeing as my weapon was silent and that finding her was the right thing to do.<p>

"I left her right here. I drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek," dad explained as he pointed off towards the direction he went.

"Without a paddle...seems where we've landed," Daryl commented as he stood up from his crouching position, while he examined the footprints in the ground and looked up at me slightly shyly.

"She was gone by the time I got back here. I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder," dad explained further as we looked around, I was down by the water and stood beside both Daryl and dad. We walked along the water, dad pointing the direction she was to head towards.

"Hey, short round, why don't you step off to one side? You're mucking up the trail," Daryl growled at Glenn as he told him to move away from the footprints in the ground that Sophia could have made. Glenn did as he was told but didn't seem happy with the Indiana Jones reference.

"Assuming she knows her left from her right," Shane told us, uncertain the girl would be able to tell which way was left and which was right.

"Shane, she understood me fine," dad tried to tell us, to reassure us that she knew where she was heading and what she was getting herself into. That she knew which direction to go to get back to us. To her mom.

"Kid's tired and scared, man. She had her a close call with two walkers. Got to wonder how much of what you said stuck," Shane pointed out as he looked down at both me and dad.

"Got clear prints right here. She did like you said, headed back to the highway. Let's spread out," Daryl told us as he looked back at both me and dad. He grabbed onto Shane's hand as he lifted Daryl from the pool and up to solid ground.

Dad climbed up next, when he reached the top, dad turned around and held out his hand for me. As did Shane, this was when I looked up to both men and took both their hands, both of them helping to pull me up and all of us following Daryl.

"Hey, we gonna find her. She'll be tuckered out hiding in a bush somewhere," Shane tried to reassure us while Daryl studied the ground carefully, his movements slow and crouched.

"She was doing just fine till right here. All she had to do was keep going. She veered off that way," Daryl said, kneeling down on one knee, all while looking at the ground and showing us how Sophia's path went.

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked us unsure as to why she would just wander another direction in the middle of the woods. _The girl is 12 Glenn, she's scared and alone...one noise would make anyone paranoid in this world._

"Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off," I suggest as I kneeled down beside Daryl and checked the footprints myself. He was right, she had moved away but why she would...I don't think any of us would know.

"A walker?" Glenn suggested as he looked between all of us, trying to get a peek at any walker footprints. _There aren't any...at least we know she's more or less safe._

"I don't see any other footprints. Just hers," Daryl spoke up and informed us of what he saw. Of what he knew. "So what do we do? All of us press on?" Shane asked as he looked to dad and the rest of us.

"No, better if you, Kat and Glenn get back up to the highway. People are gonna start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail doing everything we can...but most of all, keep everybody calm," dad told us as he thought up what to say as he spoke. _It's something he normally does...I know him too well...he is my biological father after all...just like Lori is my biological mother._

"I'll keep 'em busy scavenging cars. Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied. Come on," Shane told us two as both Glenn and Shane began to turn their backs on us.

"Dad...please be careful," I tell him, my eyes sad and slightly worried. He gave me a nod, his jaw clenching tightly before he gave me a tight hug, I rubbed his slowly as he whispered the same to me. I turned to look at Daryl who had stood up from kneeling on the ground, his crossbow in his hands and his eyes on me. "Please look after my father," I asked him softly, he chewed the inside of his cheek and gave me another nod.

This made me turn my back and head towards Shane and Glenn. Shane telling me to come on, that he'll be safe and back in no time. When we reached the others, Shane decided we were to all fix up the highway and move cars off the road. Some others were to keep searching the cars for anything that would come of good use to us.

"Why aren't we all out there looking? Why are we moving cars?" Carol asked Dale as she turned to look at him, her arms were folded and her eyes earlier were glued to where Sophia had ran off to.

"We have to clear enough room so I can get the R.V. turned around as soon as it's running. Now that we have fuel we can double back to a bypass that Glenn flagged on the map," Dale explained to Carol while me and Andrea were pushing cars away from the road.

"Going back's going to be easier than trying to get through this mess," Shane commented as he looked out towards all the cars that lay ahead of us, huge lines and endless amount of cars towards the distance.

"We're not going anywhere till my daughter gets back," Carol stood firmly as she spoke. _No one would leave her daughter behind, that's just cruel and uncalled for. Sophia will return to us. I know it. _

"Hey, that goes without saying," mom said as she came over to stand by my side, Andrea had climbed back into the RV and I had just finished pushing a car out of the way.

"Rick and Daryl, they're on it, okay? Just a matter of time," Shane reassured Carol as she turned and walked away. Going back to her spot to see when and if Sophia, Daryl and dad would show up.

"Can't be soon enough for me. I'm still freaked out from that herd that passed us by...or whatever you'd call it," Andrea spoke while she took out a bottle of water and took a sip from it. Andrea had been through hell these past few days and that walker in the RV with her really shook her.

"Yeah, what was that?" Glenn asked us as he looked to each of us. "All of them just marching along like that," Glenn stated surprised that walkers could even come in that amount of numbers.

"A herd. That sounds about right. We've seen it. It's like the night camp got attacked. Some wandering pack, only fewer," Shane spoke but then realized Andrea's head drop in thought of that night. _Poor Amy._ "Okay. Come on, people. We still got a lot to do. Let's stay on it. Let's go, come on," Shane urged us as he walked off, leaving us behind and continuing with the work we were set with.

After a few more cars, I got tired of pushing and stopped. I saw mom walking towards me, she looked at me once and slowed down as she approached me. "Sweetie...what's wrong?" she asked me and I just frowned at the ground.

"It was my fault," I whispered out to her, holding back tears as I turned my face away and swallowed thickly. The lump in my throat got tighter as I thought of what happened and what could of happened.

"What do you mean?" she asked me confused as she got closer to me, her hand gently touched my jaw and turned my face to look into her eyes. Her hazel ones stared into my blue ones. They seemed sad and concerned. I shut them tightly as I sighed and slowly opened them.

"I could have...protected her. Done something but...I...I froze mom. I didn't do anything to protect her from that walker right beside me...grabbing at her," I tell her and she frowned at me sadly. Gripping my arms, she shook me a little as she looked me directly in the eyes, stern and strong.

"Baby girl...it's not your fault. Never think that it was your fault. We all froze, all but your father. No one knew what to do. We try to do what's right but sometimes...we can't always do that," she tells me sadly and firmly. I forcefully pulled myself from her hold. My bottom lip trembling, I shook my head and felt the tears build in my eyes.

"I could have done something mom...but I didn't...now that...that's on me," I tell her and she frowned at me, she tried to reach out, to comfort me but I just walked away. My hand covering my mouth as I let the tears escape quietly, silencing myself as I kept away from the others and cried to myself. So no one would see me weak like this...

* * *

><p>"It's late. Gonna be dark soon," I heard Carol say in the distance quietly as I helped T-Dog with the canned food we had stacked by the RV.<p>

"They'll find her," Andrea said gently to her, I looked up to see Andrea stroking Carol's back comfortingly. Andrea quietly began to walk towards us, walking past us she stopped to face Dale. "Where's my gun? You have no right to take it," Andrea started as she glared at the elder man.

"You don't need that just now, do you?" Dale questioned her and her motives on having that gun at hand.

"My father gave it to me. It's mine," Andrea growled at the elder man, obviously she was unhappy with how Dale was treating her.

"I can hold onto it for you," Dale suggested kindly as he looked at her with a soft simple smile.

"Or you can give it back to me," Andrea suggested back, not being so friendly as what Dale was trying to be. This made Shane walk over to them.

"Everything cool?" Shane asked as he stopped, his hands were in his pockets as he looked between the two of them.

"No, I want my gun back," Andrea complained, wrapping her arms tightly around her chest and looking up at Shane.

"I don't think it's a good idea right now," Dale reasoned but it wasn't the honest answer that Andrea was looking for. _Or even the full truth, we all know she was suicidal and...she still possibly is._

"Why not?" Shane asked Dale confused as to why he couldn't give back Andrea what wasn't his in the first place.

"I'm not comfortable with it," Dale tells us and this makes Andrea laugh to herself, licking her lips and looked up at Dale surprised he would actually keep her alive when she just wanted her gun back.

"The truth is, less guns we have floating around camp the better," Shane said after a few seconds of Andrea just looking between the two males. Possibly hoping that she was going to get her gun back.

"You turning over your weapon or hers?" Andrea questioned Shane as she looked at him and then pointed to me. The way she mentioned me made me feel like my gun weighed ten times more than it did. Pulling my holster further down with its weight made me graze my fingers lightly over my Beretta.

"No. But I'm trained in its use as is she," Shane said as he pointed towards me with a movement of his head in my direction. "That's what the rest of y'all need is proper training...but until that time I think it's best if Dale keeps them all accounted for," Shane said, which made Andrea nod and turn her back on them. This left him and Dale alone by the RV. "Mind telling me what that's about?" Shane asked him but before Dale could answer him, Glenn mumbled something.

"Oh God, they're back," Glenn said and dropped whatever he had in his hands to rush towards the two we had left in the woods.

"You didn't find her?" Carol asked them, she was pacing around, crying and unsure of what to do with herself.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light," dad told the rest of us as he looked at Carol sadly.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods," Carol cried out, unhappy with how things had turned out and worried for her daughter. _It wouldn't surprise me. The woods aren't safe for a little girl at night._

"Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost," Daryl reasoned, trying to explain why it wouldn't be wise for anyone to be out in the woods at night.

"But she's 12. She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?" Carol asked and informed them, her teary state made her more panicked and angered.

"I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there," dad tried to reassure Carol, getting closer to Carol as he tried to calm her down.

"And we tracked her for a while," Daryl reassured further, his eyes were glued to Carol as he spoke.

"We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this," dad tried to calm her down with this knowledge Daryl had. To hopefully give peace to Carol's mind.

"Is that blood?" Carol asked them as she finally noticed blood covering them both, she was stunned and slightly worried as to whose blood that was.

"We took down a walker," dad informed us all as he tried to calm her down, to make sure she wouldn't lose it.

"Walker? Oh my God," Carol whispered, her panick rising even more as she kept moving her head and looking away from dad.

"There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia," dad reassured Carol as he got close enough to her to get a good eye contact with her.

"How can you know that?" Andrea spoke up curiously about how they would know such a thing and this made me wriggle my nose at the thought. _They cut it open...didn't they?_

"We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure," Daryl told us all but his eyes were focused on Carol's breaking down face.

"Oh God. How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her?" Carol said as she looked up at dad, sitting down on the side of the road, on the barriers as mom sat down beside her to comfort her.

"Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off. It was her best chance," dad told her, his voice shaking as he tried to hold on to his strength, to his own faith and not lose himself to the sadness of this grieving mother who had lost her child in the woods.

"Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol," I step up and try and defend my dad. To also try and let dad have some space from Carol's questioning, angry eyes.

"How was she supposed to find her way back on her own? She's just a child. She's just a child," Carol mumbled sadly, worried for her little girl who was still out there in the woods. Alone.

"It was my only option. The only choice I could make," dad spoke as he crouched down to look up at Carol. _He's feeling low...like it's his fault but it isn't. It's mine. I should be the one apologizing to Carol. Not him. He doesn't deserve this._

"I'm sure nobody doubts that," Shane agreed, defending dad as he leaned against the barrier and looked towards the rest of us. Dad was still crouching down and looking up at Carol sadly.

"My little girl got left in the woods," Carol said while mom comforted Carol by rubbing her shoulders and massaging her back. No one said a word, they just...stood there. Dad slowly raised to his feet but this made me rush to the car and grab my weapons and a flashlight. I hopped over the barrier and started to wander towards the woods.

"Kat!" I heard behind me. "No!" more voices called out to me, I then heard running towards me from both sides. The fastest one gripped my arm tightly and pulled me to turn to face him. It was bright blue eyes, dirty face and that slightly messy hair I had grown to familiarize myself with.

"Where do you think you're goin'? Didn't you hear me?!" Daryl asked me angered as dad quickly caught up to us. "It's going to get dark and we're just going to get lost if we go into the woods," he tells me and I just forcefully pull my arm out of his grip.

"Let me go. I'm not letting a little girl stay out there the night without us at least trying to find her. Not just for her mother, but that little girl needs us. Sophia needs us," I tell them and dad looked at me sadly. I then heard my name being called, looking up, I saw Carl looking down at me scared and worried. Mom's eyes wide as panick coloured her face.

I frowned and slowly walked up to them. "Kat...please don't go. I don't want to lose you," he tells me sadly and I crouch down to hold his hands in mine. I leaned in to peck his cheek lightly before getting up and looking at Carol.

"Carol...your call...no one elses. Would you like me to go into the woods and look for your daughter?" I asked her and she looked up at me, then to the rest of my family members. I think mom held a firm grip on Carol's skin as she looked at the two of us wide-eyed. Carol took a hard swallow and looked behind her to the woods.

"Stay...we don't need anyone else getting lost...but...thank you Kat. I appreciate the offer but...I don't want your mom to go through the same thing as I am right now," this made me feel slightly offended but I just gave her a nod and walked to the RV...

* * *

><p>"Everybody takes a weapon," dad said as he rolled out an arsenal of silent weapons. There was one missing which made me wonder. Slipping out my machete, I placed it inside the fold and giggled. It was the perfect fit but was still slightly big for the hold.<p>

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need. What about the guns?" Andrea complained. _Always about the fucking guns, I know she wants a gun but she doesn't know how to use it or need it if we want to be silent in the woods._

"We've been over that. Daryl, Kat, Rick and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles," Shane explained as he fiddled with his gun, I slipped my machete back into my holster and waited for us to get ready to leave.

"It's not the trees I'm worried about," Andrea tried to explain but this makes Shane get a little impatient and angered by her continuous complaining about us not allowing her to have a gun.

"Say somebody fires at the wrong moment, a herd happens to be passing by. See, then it's game over for all of us. So you need to get over it," Shane stated as he told Andrea exactly what was happening and why she wasn't allowed a gun. _No point on her being trigger happy and firing a walker that gets too close to us._

"The idea is to take the creek up about five miles, turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark," Daryl told us as we all got ready to leave.

"Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other," dad informed everyone as we began to part our separate ways.

"Everybody assemble your packs," Shane instructed others as we all got our things ready to go.

"Keep on those repairs. We've got to get this RV ready to move," dad told Dale as we walked to him, mom was holding onto her weapon and we both looked down at Carl who stood there patiently.

"We won't stay here a minute longer than we have to. Good luck out there. Bring Sophia back," Dale encouraged us as he agreed with dad and sounded hopeful of us finding Sophia.

"Keep an eye on Carl while we're gone," dad tells Dale as he leaned over and gave Carl's arm a light pat of his arm.

"I'm going with you. You need people, right? To cover as much ground as possible," Carl suggested and stood firmly about his decision to coming with us. This made me look at him for a few minutes, unsure as to if it was safe or a good idea.

"Your call. I can't always be the bad guy," mom told dad as we all looked down at Carl. Dad deliberating as to what we were to do with my baby brother.

"Well, he has all of you to look after him. I'd say he's in good hands," Dale defended Carl's argument which made me raise an eyebrow to look at dad. He was thinking long and hard about his answer.

"Okay. Okay...but always within our sight, no exceptions," dad tells him as he sighed out and gave Carl a little mess of his hair as he walked past. Dale gave a wink to a smiling Carl which made me giggle and shake my head. Mom began to walk off, this made me call out to her.

"Mom. Where are you going?" I asked her and she just went to the food, opening her backpack and looking up at me, squinting from the sunshine.

"I'm putting food into my backpack, why?" she asked me and this made me smile, I asked her if I could help her and she agreed to it kindly. Carl had ran off to get himself ready for the trip, he then ran off after dad. We saw Andrea walk her way towards Dale.

"Andrea, I'm begging you. Don't put me in this position," Dale told Andrea as she stood beside him, everyone else moved away enough from them as to not sense their tension.

"I'm not going out there without my gun. I'll even say please," Andrea teased lightly as she gave him a soft smile, hopeful she would get her gun.

"I'm doing this for you," Dale told her as he shook his head at her.

"No, Dale, you're doing it for you. You need to stop. What do you think's gonna happen? I'm gonna stick it in my mouth and pull the trigger the moment you hand it to me?" Andrea questioned Dale's real reason as to why he wouldn't give her the gun.

"I know you're angry at me. That much is clear...but if I hadn't done what I did, you'd be dead now," Dale told her, reasoning to her that she should continue living and Andrea didn't care about that.

"Jenner gave us an option. I chose to stay," Andrea told him her anger was starting to show which made me and mom look at each other, wary of them.

"You chose suicide," Dale corrected to his point of view. _Not everyone thinks the same as you Dale...or Andrea. They need to see both points of this argument. Hopefully it will happen now._

"So what's that to you? You barely know me," Andrea stated to him, we barely know each other and all we do is survive together because we're stronger together rather than alone.

"I know Amy's death devastated you," Dale informed her and this made Andrea really pissed off.

"Keep her out of this. This is not about Amy. This is about us...and if I decided that I had nothing left to live for, who the hell are you to tell me otherwise? To force my hand like that?" Andrea stated, her voice began to shake from the emotion she was clearly bottling up inside of her.

"I saved your life," Dale said to her a little stunned, unsure of how to respond to her words and what she truly wanted.

"No, Dale. I saved yours. You forced that on me. I didn't want your blood on my hands and that is the only reason I left that building. What did you expect? What, I'd have some kind of epiphany? Some life-affirming catharsis?" Andrea asked him, unsure what exactly Dale wanted her to feel like, how he wanted her to be and what exactly happened to her during that time she wanted nothing more than to die.

"Maybe just a little gratitude," Dale suggested but this only turned out to be the worst possibly answer. _Gratitude doesn't fill that space...especially not in such a dark and cold world like now._

"Gratitude? I wanted to die my way, not torn apart by drooling freaks. That was my choice. You took that away from me, Dale," Andrea told him, tears were forming in her eyes and it made all of us sad.

"But-" Dale spoke but didn't have anything to say back to that statement. _We all have a choice and taking it from someone like that isn't right. Not in this world at least._

"But you know better? All I wanted after my sister died was to get out of this endless horrific nightmare we live every day. I wasn't hurting anyone else. You took my choice away, Dale...and you expect gratitude?" Andrea said and this made me think about it from her perspective..._without Carl...without mom or dad...I have nothing left to fight for. They are what keeps me going._

"I don't know what to say," Dale said as we all stood there silently, watching as this all played out and it made us sad. Dale was fumbling for words as reality finally hit him in the face. _Not everything turns out the way they seem._

"I'm not your little girl, i'm not your wife, and I am sure as hell not your problem. That's all there is to say," Andrea told him while she took a step closer to him, with her words she gave him a long and hard look before walking around him and leaving him there to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>We had finally packed away our things and I was ready to leave. I was walking closely to Daryl and dad. Dad had slowed down to walk beside me, Daryl taking the lead as he would crouch around and be hidden. <em>A lot like the times when we would go hunting at camp, we would usually split up and meet back at camp.<em>

"Kat...what you were about to do last night...that was very brave but...you shouldn't go anywhere alone, especially not at night," Dad tells me and I just looked at him from the corner of my eye.

"I know...but I did what I thought was right, I'm not a child anymore dad...I can make decisions for myself and I believed that going out there at night was the best thing to do," I tell him and he frowned at me slightly.

"You would have just ended up putting yourself at risk," he tells me and went to grab my arm to pull me closer to him. Daryl looked behind him, at us when he heard me move away from him quickly and out of my father's grip.

"I would have because it wouldn't sit right with me to leave that girl alone in the woods. You put yourself at risk but it's not right when I do it out of my choice? Now that...is just stupid. I'm not a child and if you've forgotten...I have been looking out for myself ever since this started and not just myself...but Carl and mom. So don't tell me about risks," I growled at him and this made him frown. I began to walk closer to Daryl as I followed his lead.

"She could be in there," I whispered to the others as we all crouched down, noticing a tent not far from us and slowly wandered towards it. Me, Shane, Daryl and dad left the others behind, slowly creeping up to the tent and not making a sound.

Letting Daryl check the tent from one side. Me the other, peeking in from "Could be a whole bunch of things in there," Daryl said as we got closer, we checked inside and I noticed a figure sitting on a chair. Both me and Daryl looked at each other and shrugged, unsure of what could be in there.

"Carol," dad called out to her as she ran towards us quietly, she was worried as to who was inside and the others stayed put where we left them. "Call out softly. If she's in there, yours is the first voice she should hear," dad instructed, we were all hopeful and wondering if Sophia was even inside.

"Sophia, sweetie, are you in there? Sophia, it's mommy. Sophia. We're all here, baby. It's mommy," Carol called out to her daughter, but there was no movement, no answer and this made me slowly head to open the tent. Daryl made a signal for me to stay put, instead he entered and wandered inside. Dad and Shane walking to stand beside me incase something happened. The smell made me, dad, Daryl and Shane cough.

"Daryl?" I called to him quietly, coughing from the horrible smell. _He's taking his time...and it smells like death in there._ There was no answer. "Daryl?" I tried again and this was when he climbed out and gave me a small nod.

"It ain't her," Daryl told us, he looked up at Carol who looked slightly devastated as to us still not finding her daughter.

"What's in there?" Andrea asked curious as to what would make us think something or someone was in there. As to what all the coughing and commotion was about.

"Some guy. Did what Jenner said...opted out. Ain't that what he called it?" Daryl asked as he phrased what Jenner had said back at the CDC. We suddenly heard church bells begin to toll, we ran and followed the direction from where it was coming from.

"What direction?" Shane asked as we slowed down, all of us looking around and trying to pin-point the direction it was coming from.

"I think that way. I'm pretty sure," dad said as he pointed to a path that he believed would take us to the church.

"Damn, it's hard to tell out here," Shane grumbled as he held a tight grip to his gun, the rest of us trying to find a way through the woods and towards the church.

"If we heard them, maybe Sophia did too," Carol said hopeful.

"Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others," Glenn suggested as he pulled on the strap of his backpack and looked towards the way dad directed us to.

"Or signaling they found her," Andrea told us, unsure as to which it could be and if it was even possible for survivors to be hauled up in a church.

"She could be ringing them herself," I say trying to keep hopeful that she was clever enough to send this signal but to keep herself safe for enough time so we could get there. After this everyone began to run, following after dad, me and Shane as we rushed to wherever the noise was coming from.

"That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells. Rick," Shane told us as he followed after dad, hopeful that Sophia was inside there somewhere. We all ran towards the church, stopping when we reached the door, dad and Daryl climbed up the stairs and me and Shane followed closely behind. Slowly we opened the doors to find people sitting down...waiting for mass.

Slowly we stepped inside to find that...it wasn't people. They were walkers. Three of them sitting there, waiting for mass as if we were late to an important moment. _The bells...they toll for us...for we are now the meal...and fuck are we going to be broken...just like the holy eucharist._

I handed Shane my machete and took Daryl's crossbow from him as Glenn passed him a weapon that would be a lot more effective than using a crossbow at such close proximity. Mom passed dad a weapon I couldn't quite recognize.

When dad got close enough, he sliced the walker's head and continued to slice it until it no longer moved. Shane used my machete to slice it right into it's brain and making it drop to the ground. Daryl edged closer to the walker, the female one kept moving her head from side to side, unsure of whom to attack and Daryl would making kissing noises to her until she got hit and fell flat by Daryl's weapon.

All three of them kept slicing until they knew the walker would no longer move. We stopped to marvel at the cross, dad began to scramble around and search for Sophia. "Sophia!" he called out to the girl, but there was no answer, no signal that she was here just a now empty church.

"Yo, J.C, you taking requests?" Daryl asked as he walked up to the cross and looked directly at it. Unsure as to what they were asking, I walked in and looked around.

"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church. It's got no steeple, Rick. There's no steeple," Shane told dad as he seemed a little disoriented from all that had just happened. Hearing the church bells ring, we all turned around and ran back towards the front door, down the stairs and found the bells were ringing on the side of the church. Glenn found where the noise was and switched off the bells from ringing any longer.

"A timer. It's on a timer," Daryl said exhausted, he had ran closest to Glenn and held his weapon up, ready to kill anything else that wanted to surprise him and soon looked at us drained.

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit," Carol said as she entered, I sighed and walked towards Shane, he handed me back my machete, saying thanks and I just gave him a quick nod. Mom, me, Carl and dad all went in with Carol as she sat down and stared up at the cross. She was praying out loud so that we could hear, her words made me sad and think of how hard it was and must have been for her.

"Father, forgive me. I don't deserve your mercy. I prayed for safe passage from Atlanta and you provided. I prayed for Ed to be punished for laying his hands on me and for looking at his own daughter with whatever sickness was growing in his soul. I prayed you'd put a stop to it, give me a chance to raise her right, help her not make my mistakes," Carol pleaded up at the cross.

"She's so fearful. She's so young in her way. She hasn't had a chance. Praying for Ed's death was a sin. Please, don't let this be my punishment. Let her be safe, alive and safe. Please, lord. Punish me however you want, but show mercy on her," Carol asked of the cross, tears were in her eyes as mom comforted her.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

Things were getting difficult more as the days and hours passed. Kat barely talked to me, she wouldn't even look at me and Carl...he seemed to stick closer to Kat than he did me. _Not that I would blame him, he loves his sister and his sister loves him. _She kept speaking of things that...made me sad. Things that made me worry for our relationship.

She was growing up quicker than when the world was normal, she was stronger...more unique, more survival worthy than I was and...she had her own thoughts and oppinions...her own worries. She was a woman and I didn't know how to stop it, to protect her...to make sure she and our family were safe. Kat had been my life before Carl...she still is part of my life and the fact I wasn't there for them when they needed me most...worries me and frightens me.

She seemed so strong...independent and when I wanted to make things right with her, it only made another argument. She still loved me and I could tell but...she was disappointed in me from what happened in the CDC. _"She needs time and space," _Lori told me once when I wanted to talk to her about my thoughts...my feelings towards me and Kat.

Kat seemed so cold towards me. She seemed slightly...reckless and careless at times. It worried me and made me wonder if I was doing anything right at all lately. We had been searching for Sophia and had no luck, Carol had prayed out loud and I finally stepped outside to talk to the rest of the group. To figure out a plan and stick to it.

"Got to move here, man. These people are spent. There's only so many hours of daylight left. We still got a long way back," Shane told me as he came over to me, I was pulled from my thoughts and I finally looked up at Shane for a second.

"I can't stop yet," I tell him. _I won't stop yet. I wouldn't waste time if it was Kat or Carl out there...not even Lori. Family is important and Carol needs her daughter back, we need Sophia back. For the good of Carol and for the others. Sophia needs to be safe...she has to be._

"We still got a lot of ground to cover, whole other side of the creek bed...so we search that on the way back," Shane suggests as we try and come up with a route back towards Dale and T-Dog.

"She would have heard those church bells. She could be nearby," I tell him, hopeful that Sophia would be smart enough and sure enough to go to somewhere we knew we could possibly find her.

"She could be a lot of things," Shane mumbled and this made me want to frown. To cry. _She has to be alive and well...she has to. For the sake of all of us, including Sophia._

"I can't go back. Her being out here is my fault," I admit, this was the first time I have actually admitted my mistake, the weight on my shoulders lifting slightly but still weighing a tonne. _Sophia is lost out there...like how Kat was lost to us that cold and dark night._

"That's great. Now they got you doubting yourself, huh?" Shane said with a sarcastic, dry laugh. He was clearly amused at how I was handling this and how others were making me feel. _I made myself feel like this. No one else. I couldn't find her, I couldn't get to Sophia in time to take her back to the others._

"What about you? You doubt me?" I asked Shane as I moved to look him right in the eyes, to catch any sense of doubt from him but he just looked right back and kept looking to the sides. This was a nervous trait of his.

"Hey, we can assign all kinds of blame," Shane said as he looked at me but then around as he spoke, he wouldn't look me in the eyes for too long and this made me worry slightly.

"This means something, finding her," I tell him which only earns me a small 'oh man,' and a shake to the head from Shane. "It would be the miracle we need. We can't give up," I tell him. _I can't give up on Sophia...or my family. Least of all Kat...I need to make it right to her and to Carol. To Sophia._

"Mmm," Shane said as he thought things over to himself, when he knew what he was going to say and decide, he gave me a pat on the arm and walked towards the others who were all waiting for us.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Shane cleared his throat when he turned away from dad, after their conversation and Shane had rubbed his head frustrated. "Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back, okay? Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough," Shane informed us and this made me curious as to why they would split us apart, in such a small number and big one in comparison.

"You're splitting us up. You sure?" Daryl asked unsure himself if this was alright, or even the correct amount of numbers for each group.

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you," Shane reassured us as he gave us a small nod and looked down at his feet.

"I want to stay too. I'm her friend," Carl spoke up as he stepped forward to meet dad and Shane. We all stayed silent as no one knew how to respond to either letting him go or taking him with us back to the RV.

"Just be careful, okay?" mom tells him and this makes me look at her curiously, she would never be okay with this. She would hate the fact my brother is nowhere near her.

"I will," Carl answered her quickly and mom moved to give him a kiss on the top of his head.

When mom stepped back, I crouched down to his level and looked him in the eyes. "Are you sure you want to go? Do you want me to go with you?" I ask him, my face serious and slight worry made my muscles tense. _I don't want to leave Carl alone...not after what happened back at the camp._

"I'll be fine Kat...anyway...mom needs you. I'll look after dad and you look out for mom. It's what we do, right?" he asked me with a small smile, giggling I smiled back, nodding and this was when he pulled me into a hug. Wrapping my arms tightly I held onto him and breathed in his scent, captured by this moment with him and not wanting to let him go.

"I love you," I tell him as I rubbed his back, feeling the need to whisper it to him and hold him tightly to me.

"I love you too," he replies and we pull away to look each other in the eyes, our smiles forming slowly as mom and dad look at us smiling. The rest of the group smiling but slightly sad, as were mom and dad's smile when they realized we were splitting up.

"When did you start growing up?" mom asked Carl as she pulled him into another hug.

"When did they both start growing up?" dad asked as he looked to me and mom smiling slowly. Dad slowly walked to us, kissed the top of Carl's head, pulled mom into a hug and kissed her lips lightly. When it came to me, he hugged me tightly and when he pulled away he kissed my forehead gently. "I'll be along soon enough," he tells me and mom. "Here, take this. Remember how to use it?" dad asked mom as he gave her his gun.

"I'm not taking your gun and leaving you unarmed," mom tells him as she began walking, she shook her head at dad while he stood there holding out his gun for her to take.

"Here, got a spare. Take it," Daryl stepped up to say, handing mom a gun and making me raise an eyebrow to him as to where he had found this gun. _I believe he could have taken it from the...'opted out' guy from the tent?_

Mom took the gun thanking him and we walked towards the woods, me and I turned a little to give the church one last look. Seeing dad run up the stairs as I turned back around and faced forward. We wandered into the woods, silent and calm.

* * *

><p>"So this is it? This the whole plan?" Carol asked us as she sat down on a cut down tree, resting for a second as she looked at all of us.<p>

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups," Daryl complained as he agreed with my thoughts earlier. It made me sad to think they were talking about my dad's ideas like this so...unhappy and mean towards him. _It's unfair._

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks," Andrea complained as she then looked towards my mom. "I see you have a gun," she stated as she looked dully at mom, she looked like she didn't like my mom for having the gun, as though there was favouritism.

"Why, you want it?" mom asked Andrea while she opened up her backpack, she stepped closer to Andrea and held out the gun for her. "Here, take it," she tells Andrea, this makes Andrea look down at the gun and then back up at mom. "I'm sick of the looks you're giving me," mom tells her as Andrea takes the gun from my mom's hands.

"All of you. Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through...and I would do anything to stop it, but you have got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second," mom said as she looked at Carol. She seemed annoyed, upset and it made me sit beside her, rubbing her back as I didn't like seeing mom like this. So riled up and saddened by what others were thinking of dad.

"I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did, or made the hard decisions that he had to make or that anybody could have done it any differently. Anybody?" mom asked up as she looked around the group. "Y'all look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you," mom said as she took a sip of water from the bottle she had in her backpack, she slipped it back inside and looked up.

"We should keep moving," Andrea told us as she handed mom back the gun, mom took it from her and we kep moving. The sun was setting and the others would be worrying when we finally got back to T-Dog and Dale. My mind would wander to think about Carl, dad and Shane out there still searching for Sophia...

* * *

><p>While we were walking we heard a gun shot which made both me and mom tense. We continued walking but we did question about it earlier, only this time both me and mom didn't feel right about it. "You still worrying about it?" Andrea asked us as we looked into the distance.<p>

"It was a gunshot," mom stated, pointing out the obvious as we all looked out into the distance with her. Both our eyes were searching for anything that seemed odd.

"We all heard it," Daryl informed us as though we were stupid or something. _Of course we all heard it! The fucking thing echos! My brother...my dad are out there._

"Why one- why just one gunshot?" mom asked, questioning the motives of firing only one shot and not more. _If they were walkers...there would be more gun shots and for one...the wouldn't use guns for one unless it was an extreme emergency._

"Maybe they took down a walker," Daryl suggested which made me and mom turn to look at him stunned. Angered by his slight stupidity.

"Please don't patronize us. You know my dad wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker, or Shane. They'd do it quietly," I inform them as I look back into the distance, making both me and mom look towards the woods.

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol asked as she looked around, she seemed just as confused as we did and didn't want to openly show it.

"There's nothing we can do about it, anyway. Can't run around these woods chasing echoes," Daryl tells us, trying to make an excuse as to why we can't track down my brother and father.

"So, what do we do? Hmm?" I ask him, worried for my baby brother and for my dad who were out there, with Shane and just Shane.

"Same as we've been. Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway," Daryl tells us and me and mom look at each other before watching the others expressions.

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV," Andrea tried to reassure us, turning our backs me and mom started back the way we were heading. Daryl and Glenn following behind. "I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know how you feel," Andrea said to Carol, causing for all of us to turn to look at her and Carol.

"I suppose you do...thank you," Carol said politely to Andrea. "The thought of her, out here by herself It's the not knowing that's killin' me. I just keep hopin' and prayin' she doesn't wind up like Amy," she said which made Andrea flinch a little. "Oh, God! That's the worst thing I ever said," Carol said as she realized her mistake for saying that. She took Andrea's hands in hers, sad that she said that to Andrea about her now dead sister.

"We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth," Andrea replied to Carol softly, recovering from the blow of Amy and giving Carol kind eyes after the pain she had just felt.

"I'll tell ya what it's worth...not a damn thing. It's a waste of time, all this hopin' and prayin'. We're gonna locate that little girl. She's gonna be just fine. Am I the only one zen around here? Good lord," Daryl growled at them as he stepped forward, examining the two women and then turning back to walk towards the highway. Leading us the way and we trailed after him.

We went for a break, knowing we were close enough to the creek we decided on where we wanted to go and mom decided to head back to the others. That tomorrow we would find Sophia.

"How much farther?" mom asked Daryl as we continued to walk through the woods, Daryl took the lead and we all followed.

"Not much...maybe a hundred yards as the crow flies," Daryl told us which made me laugh internally.

"Too bad we're not crows," I joked and everyone gave me a look like they would prefer to be crows right now.

We were following after Daryl when we suddenly heard Andrea scream at the top of her lungs, we ran to her screams and found her laying on the floor, a walker trying to get a bite of her as she screamed and kicked at the walker. Suddenly a girl on horseback came riding in with a bat in hand, knocking the walker off Andrea as Andrea fumbled to get to her feet.

"Lori? Kat? Kat and Lori Grimes?" the girl called for me and mom, this made me feel my stomach tense and twist around inside me. "Whoa!" the girl said to her horse that didn't want to stop moving but soon did.

"I'm Lori," mom said and then she pointed to me. "This is Kat...my daughter," she tells us and this makes me look at the two wide eyed.

"Rick sent me. You've got to come now," she tells us and I then look to the horse.

"What?" I ask her confused as to what was happening.

"There's been an accident. Carl's been shot," she said just as quickly, these words punched right into my chest and made my heart sink. This made me feel so numb and...cold. "He's still alive but you've gotta come now. Rick needs you both. Just come!" the girl told us but I shook my head.

Grabbing mom, I held onto her arms. "Mom you have to go. Carl needs you, I'll be there as soon as I can, go. Both of us won't fit on that saddle. Now go," I tell her and she looked at me, her eyes frantic, her heart beating and her breathing was uneven.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa! We don't know this girl. You can't get on that horse," Daryl growled at us but I just glared at him.

"My family is my problem, I say she goes...she goes," I tell Daryl and he just grumbles.

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl?" the girl said as she lifted mom up onto the horse.

"Uh-huh," I nod to her and listened carefully.

"Backtrack to Fairburn road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox. Name's Greene. Hi-yah!" the girl said and within two seconds she left. Leaving me behind with the others. My eyes glued to them as I watched them ride off into the distance.

Suddenly we heard growling coming from the walker the girl had hit with the baseball bat. "Shut up," Daryl growled as it sat up and he shot it with his crossbow quickly, silently..._Carl..._

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><p><strong>What did you guys think? Should I continue? Can I please have 10 reviews? This way I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. Please. What do you expect to happen in this season of the story in The Untold Grimes? <strong>

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	8. Chapter 8: Searching

Chapter 8: Searching

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~13 years ago~_

_I was at school when I heard the school bell ring, I packed up my things, said goodbye to my teacher and ran down the stairs. I could see mommy and daddy waiting for me. They were waving to me, daddy had his cop outfit on and mommy was wearing a bright smile. They were both happy. Today was my birthday. _

_Running to them, they couched down to hug me and pick me up. Dad spun me around, gripping me tightly and kissed my cheek softly. Mommy giggled and pecked my lips softly, when we got in the car we sang along to songs and reached our home. Slipping out of my seat, we got inside and I found out there were family members here, even Shane was there and all to surprise me._

_After receiving my presents, I thanked everyone and placed it in the pile I had of presents. Most were dolls, toys and clothes. Mommy had got me what I asked for and I was thankful for it. When people started to leave, it started to get quiet and soon everyone left. Mommy had just finished cleaning when me and daddy were getting to the last page of one of my favourite books._

_Daddy slowly slipped me off his lap to sit on the couch and wandered off into the kitchen, mommy sat down next to me, a free space to the left side of me and this was when daddy came in. He walked up to me, holding a small box in his hands and gave me a warm smile. "Here baby girl...this is for you," he tells me as he handed me, it was wrapped up in pink and purple stripped wrapping paper. "Happy birthday," he tells me softly and this made me smile at him._

_Taking it, I started to carefully unwrap the paper, peeking inside I saw it was still a box. When the paper was finally off, I held another box inside my hands and looked at it puzzled. "Open it," daddy encouraged me as mommy sat beside me, her hand gently rubbing my back soothingly. _

_Opening the box, I gasped. It was the same necklace I got daddy for when he was a cop. Tracing my fingers over the engravings I smiled and looked up at daddy. His smile and eyes warm as mommy leaned in and kissed my temple. "My Kitten...my daughter," I said out loud and pulled the necklace out, smiling at it as I felt daddy's fingers lightly graze mine._

_He took the necklace from me, making me give him my back and looking up at mommy's happy face. Her hazel eyes gleaming as she watched me and daddy. Daddy gently placed the necklace around my neck and clasped the ends together. Holding the flat circle, I gently touched it and smiled when I felt what was on the back. 'Love RG.'_

_"This is so that you can wear it and always remember that...we love you and...no matter where you are...I'll always find you," daddy tells me as I turn to him his eyes serious as he spoke. Flinging my arms around him, I whispered my thanks and held him tightly to me. My new necklace...my treasure._

* * *

><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

We were walking in the woods for what felt like hours, every step dragged on longer than what it should, at first I was speeding up and at the front, leading everyone. Now...I was slowed down, trailing from behind and keeping to myself. I saw Glenn look back at me and slow down, catching up to me.

Glancing at him, he looked at me concerned as he spoke to me. "Kat...are you okay?" he asked me and I just clenched my jaw at his question. _That's...a really stupid question to ask. _

"Thank you for your concern Glenn but...don't take this personally...I don't want to talk about my emotions right now. We should focus on looking for Sophia and to keep our minds set on getting to the RV before dark," I tell him as I moved a little more angered, getting faster as we sped up.

"Okay...I'm sorry," Glenn apologized kindly and we kept walking. No one else tried to ask me any questions and we soon reached the RV. When we got there, Dale asked where the others were and this was when Glenn spoke up for me. Informing him of everything that happened, leaving Carl being shot last which made me inhale deeply as I tried not to think of it.

"Shot? What do ya mean shot?" Dale asked us concerned for my baby brother. Worried as to how this could have happened. _If only we had the answers Dale...if only. _

"I don't know, Dale. I wasn't there. All I know is this chick rode out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori," Glenn explained as he climbed over the barrier. I was carrying my things and the backpack mom had given me when she ran towards the horse to climb onto it.

"Almost let her take Kat too," Daryl added as we all climbed over the barrier that stopped the cars from driving into the woods.

"You let her?" Dale asked us confused, looking at me and with eyes of uncertainty, of worry. I just looked away from his gaze, not wanting to talk about my baby brother out there right now.

"Climbed down out of my asshole, man. Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name, Kat's and Carl's," Daryl told him quickly as Daryl walked off, I stood there for a moment before going towards the ladders, climbing up and picking up the binoculars.

"I heard screams. Was that you?" Dale asked us but looked towards Andrea as she made her way up the hill and over the barrier.

"She got attacked by a walker. It was a close call," Glenn spoke as he dropped the bags on the floor, Carol leaned against the barrier and Dale turned to watch Andrea walk away.

"Andrea, are you all right?" Dale asked but all I heard were sighs and then the door of the RV open, the RV shook a little while Andrea walked inside and moved in it a little. I kept looking out in the distance, unable to move and I kept looking out. The sun was setting and every second that past I felt more and more disconnected to Carl. The eager need to be with him was driving me crazy.

From the distance I could hear them talking about me, Dale and Glenn at least. Talking about how I hadn't moved, not even a flinch of a second as I stood there, staring out into the distance. Watching the sun go down and listening to the others do whatever they wanted to do. My mind wouldn't stop thinking about my baby brother. How I would do anything to be with him right now.

I then heard footsteps climb up the ladder, not turning to see who it was, I stayed still and looked towards the distance. Watching the sky turn different colours as the time passed. "Kat...I can't imagine what you're going through but...you need to move...to eat," Dale suggested and I then heard another pair of feet walk towards me.

"It wouldn't do you or Carl any good if you don't eat something, he's not moving from wherever he is," Carol spoke as they stood at either side of me. My arms wrapped tightly around my chest, one of my hands raising lazily to grasp at the necklace I held between my fingers tightly. "He's in good care especially with your parents there," she tried to calm me further.

Sniffling, I sigh and look towards the distance. "I...I'm worried...you know? Well...who wouldn't be worried about someone they love...someone they care about. Carl he...he's my best friend...my little man. I-..." my voice began to crack as my eyes started to water slightly. "I know that...wherever he is...I'll find him. I always will," I say and give the sun a nod. Staring into the distance, I felt Carol's hands gently rub my back and Dale lower his head from the corner of my eye.

"I just...I need time alone," I hint at them softly and this made Carol give me a small hug before she turned and left. Dale reached out and patted my shoulder before he too left me alone to my own thoughts. It was getting darker as every moment passed. _Stay strong Carl...I'll be there soon...I promise._

"I won't do it. We can't just leave," Carol said as we all began to suggest moving towards the location the girl gave us. _To go to Carl...to be by his side._

"Carol, the group is split. We're scattered and weak," Dale informed her but she just looked at him, about to burst into tears and crumble right in front of us.

"What if she comes back and we're not here? It could happen," Carol told us hopeful, she seemed to be hopeful even after all that had happened and I couldn't blame her.

"If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful," I agree as I thought of me in Carol's position and if Carl was out there. _Sadly Carl is out there and...he could be...no. He can't be. He's my fighter. He's going to pull through. Just like dad._

"Okay. We gotta plan for this. I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies. I'll hold here tonight, stay with the RV," Daryl planned out for us, giving himself the position of keeping lookout in case Sophia returned.

"If the RV is stayin', I am too," Dale said admirably. _Him and that RV at joined at the hip. Wherever the RV goes...he goes._

"Thank you. Thank you both," Carol said softly, smiling at them both which made Dale smile sadly and Daryl give her a small nod.

"I'm in," Andrea agreed as she looked at all of us.

"Well, if you're all staying then I'm-" Glenn began but was soon cut off by Dale.

"Not you, Glenn. You're going. Take-take Carol's cherokee," Dale instructed as Glenn looked around angered and annoyed.

"Me? Why is it always me?" Glenn questioned, disbelief coloured his face as he looked at each of us.

"You have to find this farm, reconnect with our people and see what's going on...but most important, you have to get T-Dog and Kat there. This is not an option. That cut has gone from bad to worse. As for Kat...she needs to be with her brother. T-Dog has a very serious blood infection. Get them to that farm. See if they have any antibiotics...because if not, T-Dog will die, no joke," Dale spoke which made me look at him insulted. Daryl moved away from us to grab a stash that was in his brother's motorbike.

"Dale. You don't get to make my decisions for me. I'm staying, I'll go in the morning to my family. Right now...I want to be here if Sophia comes and if not...to help find her if we can before heading to that farm. That is my choice and I am stubborn when it comes to my decisions," I growled at him as he raised his hands in silent surrender.

"Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle," Daryl said as he threw Dale's cloths to him. "Why'd you wait till now to say anything? Got my brother's stash. Crystal, x- don't need that. Got some kick ass painkillers," Daryl said as he dug in the bag, throwing one bottle to Glenn. "Doxycycline. Not the generic stuff neither," Daryl pointed out as he passed it to Dale. "It's first class. Merle got the clap on occasion," Daryl told us which made me watch as Daryl walked away from us.

* * *

><p>It was late at night, T-Dog and Glenn had already left to locate the farm. We were trying to get some sleep in the RV, or at least Daryl was while I just sat there, opposite Andrea as she fixed her gun over and over again. Carol was sobbing. I kept staring out the window and hoped for sunlight to come. To get back to Carl and to be with him.<p>

"Imma need my clip now," Daryl told Andrea while he got up and picked up his crossbow. "I'm gonna walk the road, look for the girl," Daryl said as Andrea offered him his clip, this made me look up at him and Carol stop crying for a moment. Daryl looked behind him, at Carol and gave her a silent nod.

"I'm coming too," I spoke as I grabbed my things and left the RV, Daryl had already exited the RV and we were walking towards the barrier. This caused Daryl to turn to look at me and Carol to come out with Andrea.

"I'm going for a walk. Shine some light in the forest. If she's out there, give her something to look at," Daryl ordered and informed Dale who was sat above the RV looking down at us all.

"You think that's a good idea right now?" Dale questioned us unsure that this was the right thing to do. _I can't sit on my ass any longer, non of us are getting any sleep and I don't want to have to think about Carl for a minute longer._

"Dale," Andrea warned him and this made me smile at her sadly, Daryl giving me a nod as he began to walk towards the barrier and crossed it, following his lead and pulling out my flashlight.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

It had been hours since the shot, Lori was with me and Kat was...well...she was with the others. Carl's shot made me worry, panick and tremble with fear. There were moments I was hazy, weak and most of the time terrified. When Kat didn't show up I felt sad but..._she's doing what she had to. Only Lori could fit and Kat's doing what she has to in order to find Sophia._

"Hey," we heard Glenn's familiar voice as we all heard footsteps lightly come towards us, looking up I half expected to see Kat standing with them but was saddened to see she still wasn't here. _Maybe she had to go get something to eat and will be here in a second..._

"Hey," I answered back weakly, looking down at Carl as his pale and stiff body laid on the bed. Hershel checking our son and Lori gripped tightly onto my hand.

"Um, we're here, okay?" Glenn spoke, unsure what to say as we all stared at the frozen Carl. Lifeless...silent...unmoving. It was a hard thing for a father to see. Whether it be Kat or Carl...it was difficult to see.

"Thank you," Lori thanked them quietly, it was dark and getting warm with the hot night air. We were sweaty from the heat and the tension. T-Dog and Glenn stood there unsure what to do or say.

"Whatever you need," T-Dog said kindly as they were both about to turn around and leave us there.

"Where's Kat?" I asked them and they both turned to look at me, unsure what to say as they both stayed silent and looked between each other then back down to Carl.

"She's...going to be here tomorrow. She's holding up the others at the highway, keeping them motivated and strong," Glenn said and this made both me and Lori nod. _Always doing the right thing...even if it almost kills her. Inside or out. She does what's right and suffers whenever we're hurt or in possible danger. I'm proud...but sad. She should be here but...she knows what she's doing. I won't blame her for not being here._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"You really think we're gonna find Sophia?" I asked Daryl as we walked side by side in the woods, dark at night and only source of light was our flashlights.

"You haven't got that look on your face the same as everybody else. What the hell's wrong with those people? We just started looking," Daryl told me as we walked along the woods quietly, as to not attract attention from any nearby walkers.

"I know but...well, do you?" I asked him, curious as to what he thought and believed. _He's always so quiet and doesn't talk much...at least not to me._

"It ain't the mountains of Tibet. It's Georgia. She could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. People get lost and they survive. It happens all the time," he tells me and this made me think of the time Shane found me, when dad went looking for me on that cold night when I was a child.

"She's only 12," I state and he just looked at me, our eyes caught each other's glance and made me quickly shy away from his gaze. My eyes on the ground we were walking on, the torch lighting a path that I stepped upon.

"Hell, I was younger than her and I got lost. Nine days in the woods eating berries, wiping my ass with poison oak," he tells me and this made me look at him curiously, my brows furrowing confused as to where he was going with this story.

"They found you?" I asked him and this made him shake his head, he looked to me and he quickly looked back down. His grip on his crossbow strap strong as we continued to walk silently.

"My old man was off on a bender with some waitress. Merle was doing another stint in juvie. Didn't even know I was gone. I made my way back though. Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear. Except my ass itched something awful," Daryl told me which made me stifle a giggle.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, that is a terrible story," I tell him and start laughing quietly, unable to hold it in at the thought of Daryl as a young boy lost in the woods, using poison oak to wipe his ass. I looked to him, to see him watching me, a small smirk growing on his lips as we continued to walk and search for Sophia.

"Only difference is Sophia's got people looking for her," he tells me which made me think it over. _It's true. Just like people looked for me when I was a child. Daryl...he just...told me something personal about himself and it...actually makes me feel special. He...made me forget about Carl for a second. _

"I call that an advantage," I admit and this made him nod at me, walking deeper into the woods soundlessly. _Please be safe...Sophia...Carl. God...please let them be safe...and alive._

While walking deeper into the woods, we heard rustling in the trees and bushes which made both me and Daryl quickly tense. I pulled out my machete and Daryl aimed his crossbow at where the sound came from. Gradually we sneaked closer to where the sound was echoing from.

We came across a tent camp site and then heard gurgling coming from the tree. "What the hell?" Daryl said surprised when we both looked up to see a walker dangling from the tree. Hung up on the tree. "'Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit,'" Daryl said as he read out the note that was left on the tree.

"Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait...and a mess," Daryl said as we looked up at it. The thought of it's chewed up legs and swinging, awful smelling body dangling made me want to gag. "You all right?" Daryl asked me when he noticed me cough and hold in any vile that wanted to come up.

"Trying not to puke," I admit as I held in my sick. Trying not to think about the man that was now dangling from the tree, not far from me who was now a walker dangling from a tree.

"Go ahead if you gotta," Daryl said as he turned his head a little to look at me, the thought of him encouraging me to throw up made me cough a little more, focusing on trying to get out of here and find Sophia.

"No, I'm fine. Let's just talk about something else for a minute. How'd you learn to shoot?" I asked him, trying to change the subject as I straightened up and saw him look back at me then up to the walker up on the tree.

"Gotta eat. That's one thing these walkers and us have in common," Daryl started to tell me while he changed the subject but then it went down hill from here. "I guess it's the closest he's been to food since he turned. Hanging up there like a big pinata. The other geeks came and ate all the flesh off his legs." he said as I looked up at the walker.

The sudden reek of dead corpse engulfed my nose and curling my back, I threw up a little and wiped at my mouth with the back of my hand. Groaning at how vile the smell and taste was in my mouth mixed with the rotting corpse dangling from the tree. "I thought we were changing the subject," I complained to Daryl who turned to look at me, he was tapping his foot a few times as he looked between me and the walker.

"Call that payback for laughing about my itchy ass," Daryl explained as he kept looking between my and the walker, finally turning his head to squint up at the walker.

"There wasn't a lot that came up," I tell him proud of myself enough to admit that. _I could have thrown up a lot more, especially if I was thinking about Carl being shot and nowhere near me._

"Huh. Let's head back," Daryl said as he gave the walker a once over, then turned his back to walk towards the way we came.

"Aren't you gonna -?" I suggested as I felt too weak to pull off my bow and grab an arrow, especially not after me just throwing up. He stopped in his tracks and looked at me before looking up at the walker.

"No. He ain't hurting nobody. Ain't gonna waste an arrow either. He made his choice. Opted out. Let him hang," Daryl said as he looked at the walker, he turned his back and began to head back to the others. I just stood there and walked closer to the riled up, hung up walker in the tree.

"You worried about your brother? It's just a question," Daryl asked me as he walked up behind me, close enough for me to turn to look at him and see his kind and soft expression look at me. _He seems sincere and curious as to what I'm thinking but...he's mistaken if he thinks I'm going to answer him easily._

I looked back up at the swinging walker who was trying to reach at me. _Doesn't seem right to leave this guy to die up there like that. Not to leave him here like a walker decoration._ "An answer for an arrow. Fair?" I asked him, his light blue eyes twinkled in this lighting which made me feel slightly...warm. He gave me a small nod and quiet hum in agreement.

"Weren't you worried about Merle being cuffed to that roof and when we found only his hand still there?" I questioned him back which made him stay silent in thought. He chewed at his inside cheek, his eyes scanning around, the floor, me and then back to the floor.

"Not much of an answer," Daryl tells me but shot the walker for me anyway. The struggling walker stopped moving, dangling from the tree silently and no longer having to suffer this stupidity. "Waste of an arrow," Daryl growled before we turned our backs and headed back to the RV.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"You really think we're gonna find Sophia?" Kat asked me as we walked side by side in the dark woods. The flashlights were dimn but...they were good enough for what we were using them for. A simple guide so that we didn't stumble over ourselves.

"You haven't got that look on your face the same as everybody else. What the hell's wrong with those people? We just started looking," I stated, angered that people back at camp kept looking like we should give up and leave Sophia out here to die.

"I know but...well, do you?" Kat asked me, she was hopeful that things would turn out better which was admirable. She seemed curious as to what I would possibly say back.

"It ain't the mountains of Tibet. It's Georgia. She could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. People get lost and they survive. It happens all the time," I state but she just looked at me as though I was stupid.

"She's only 12," she stated to me, making me look up at her questioningly and this made us both look away quickly, her blue eyes were twinkling under this natural moonlight and were almost impossible to look away from. _You say that but you know you're too pussy to admit you think she looks pretty._

"Hell, I was younger than her and I got lost. Nine days in the woods eating berries, wiping my ass with poison oak," I tell her, surprised I was so willing to tell her about my past before the apocalypse. From the corner of my eyes I could see her staring at me confused and curious as to this story I was telling her.

"They found you?" she asked me, making me shake my head and look up at her. I quickly looked down when she realized me looking at her. Her eyes soft and face glowing lightly in the moonlight. I kept walking as I felt my fingers grip tightly onto the strap of my crossbow.

"My old man was off on a bender with some waitress. Merle was doing another stint in juvie. Didn't even know I was gone. I made my way back though. Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear. Except my ass itched something awful," I told her, slightly teasing and hoping it lifted the mood for her.

_She's probably losing it with her brother being shot. Still...it seems so easy to talk to her about my past. About my family. I'm so worried I said something that could cause me to look like an idiot or that would make her hate me._

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, that is a terrible story," Kat said as she held in a giggle, after her second sorry she began to laugh. It was light...airy. Like the sound of warmth and joy. It was a beautiful sound to hear. Her laughs and giggles were contagious in a way, making me smirk slowly at her momentary joy. Watching her laugh, she looked beautiful as she laughed, so carefree and...young.

"Only difference is Sophia's got people looking for her," I state when I thought about the girl out in the woods, alone and lost. We looked to each other but then back to the ground we were walking on.

"I call that an advantage," she tells me and this made me think of my past. _That girl is going to be just fine. Just like her brother will be fine too._

While walking in the woods, we heard something move and it made me jump back a little. Aiming up my crossbow as I looked to where the sound was, lifting up my flashlight to get a better look and crouching as to not be spotted so easily. We slowly wandered closer to the sound, to make sure it wasn't a hidden Sophia or a lonely walker.

We came across a small camp site, enough for at least one person when I heard the rustling turn into growling gurgles. "What the hell?" I said shocked to find a walker dangling on a noose in a tree. "'Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit,'" I spoke out loud, reading out the note the guy had left for anyone who found him like this.

"Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait...and a mess," I said as I examined the walker further, it was a male...he seemed...normal to say the least but he was dumb enough to forget that to not turn you had to destroy the brain. "You all right?" I asked Kat as I looked over to see her bending over, coughing as she tried not to puke.

"Trying not to puke," she admitted to me, making me turn to squint up at the walker that was dangling above us. It's legs were shredded, the mead from it gone and pieces of bones and muscles remained.

"Go ahead if you gotta," I tell her as I kept examining the walker. He seemed to have died and came back quite slowly, seeing as the flesh hadn't been chewed on while he was a walker but more as when he had died.

"No, I'm fine. Let's just talk about something else for a minute. How'd you learn to shoot?" she asked me trying to change the subject but...I'm way too stubborn for her to get out of not throwing up. _Girl laughed about my itchy ass...I need to make her feel bad in some way._

"Gotta eat. That's one thing these walkers and us have in common," I say trying to make her think I was agreeing with her. The smell of rotting flesh reeked as the walker wiggled and swung the air around us as it tried to grab at us. "I guess it's the closest he's been to food since he turned. Hanging up there like a big pinata. The other geeks came and ate all the flesh off his legs." I informed her dully.

"I thought we were changing the subject," she said after she threw up a little, I turned to look at her and saw she was bent over, wiping at her lips and groaning at the smell of whatever smelt worse to her at this point. I looked back up at the walker, squinting at it and shining my torch up at it.

"Call that payback for laughing about my itchy ass," I state as I felt myself feeling bad about it a little. _The girl just threw up...you're being such a jerk. You should of stopped when she asked you to. _I kept glancing at her and then back to the walker, my feet shuffling from side to side as I watched her.

"There wasn't a lot that came up," she informed me, proud of herself as she said it. This made me look at her, giving the walker a once over with my eyes and turn my back.

"Huh. Let's head back," I say as I head to walk away, but she just kept her back to me and walked closer to the walker bait.

"Aren't you gonna -?" she asked me trying to indicate that I should shoot it down. _Isn't she carrying her own bow and arrows? Why do I have to do it? Anyway...you did make her ill, maybe she's already sick enough of worry for her brother and you just made it worse. Asshole._

"No. He ain't hurting nobody. Ain't gonna waste an arrow either. He made his choice. Opted out. Let him hang," I tell her as I turn my back, about to walk off but deciding to go back to her and she stared up at the walker. "You worried about your brother? It's just a question," I asked her as she turned to look at me slowly.

"An answer for an arrow. Fair?" she suggested after she looked up at the walker than back down at me. _Those bright blue eyes...her softly lit face in this moonlight. With this beauty men would crumble rocks for her._ I gave her a small 'mmhm' and a quick nod in agreement. "Weren't you worried about Merle being cuffed to that roof and when we found only his hand still there?" she asked me.

This question in return made me deliberate. Chewing on the inside of my cheek as I looked to the ground to her, as she stared at me, watching my every movement and finally landing on the ground. _Well...Merle did get stuck on that roof...alone and I was worried...I went to find him and he had no hand, little blood in his body and...I was still worried. Hell...I still am worried for him, wherever he is._

"Not much of an answer," I state but it was an answer enough. _It would make sense for her to worry about her brother, he's blood and her brother. Family means everything these days._ "Waste of an arrow," I admit when I shot down the walker and it finally stopped moving, I began to walk back and she slowly trailed behind me.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

We could hear the motorcycle approaching from inside and were sat by Carl's bed. "Fever's gone down," Hershel told us as we looked to Carl who had thankfully been saved by Shane, Hershel and the others who assisted in it all.

"Baby?" Lori called to him as he slowly started to squirm, clearing his throat as he got comfortable and started to wake up.

"Carl?" I called to him, my voice dry from the lack of hydration and worry that was caught in my throat. His eyes slowly began to flutter open and his bright blues looked up at us.

"Sophia? Is she okay?" Carl asked up at us, his eyes tired and his voice cracking a little from the amount of unknown sleep he had.

"Fine. She's fine," I reassure him as to not worry him. _Right now he needs to worry about getting better, not about Sophia and...hopefully Kat found Sophia by now and we were all safe._

"Rest. We'll be right here, okay?" Lori told him gently as she looked to him, both of us were leaning over his bed, staring down at him, pleaded to see him alive and well enough.

"Okay," Carl agreed as he shut his eyes softly, his body slowly relaxing as I sank down onto my chair.

"They're here," T-Dog alerted us as we looked up and heard the motorcycle get closer, getting to our feet we rushed to the front door quietly, as to not wake Carl from his sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

We had left Sophia a sign on the car, some supplies and I had asked Daryl if I could go on his motorcycle with him. He agreed which made me feel relieved. _This way I can hop off and run to Carl. _

When Daryl slowly started to stop, I got off and ran towards the house, seeing both dad and mom stood at the top of the stairs as they rushed towards me. "How is he?" I asked them panicked as I hugged them both tightly and quickly.

"He'll pull through, thanks to Hershel and his people," mom said stuttering, I could tell she had hardly any sleep. _Wouldn't blame her, I haven't had a good amount of sleep either. Laying awake all night thinking of Carl._

"And Shane," dad mentioned as I looked to the people who surrounded us and my eyes landed on Shane. He gave me a small smile as he wore clothes that...didn't fit him or suit him at all. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him," dad told us and I went towards all of them to hug them, whispering my thanks to them.

"Thank God. We were so worried," Carol whispered to mom as they hugged, everyone giving my parents their hugs and small condolences of what happened.

"How'd it happen?" I ask them, wanting to know all the details of what happened to him. Curious and wondering as to what happened while I was away searching for Sophia.

"Hunting accident. That's all...just a stupid accident," dad tells me and this made me frown at him, I gulped a hard one that got caught a little in my throat as I walked towards the door. Without a word, I walked in and headed to find the room my brother was in.

Shivering, I opened the door to find him laying there, a bandage to his side and he was...so...pale. Lifeless...the only movement was the one of his inflating and deflating lungs. The sound of his light breathing filled the room and the smell of blood still lingered in the room of the operation they had to do on him.

I laid beside him, cuddling him to me slightly as I watched his angelic little face fast asleep. Calm. Like nothing happened over this small amount of time. With this time alone, I spent it just talking to him, whispering what I thought and how I felt to him. No one else had to know, just me...and his subconscious...

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

I went inside to place my brothers meds inside the cabinets they had. To store them for safekeeping. When I heard crying and then looked inside a room to find Kat laying beside an unmoving Carl. She was crying as she caressed his face, stroked his hair and looked down at him.

"Carl...I was so...worried but...I knew I'd find you. I always will. I...I don't know what I would do without you. You're what keeps me going. You give me hope and without you I...I'd just be lost," she said as she cried. Her voice cracking a little from the pain she was possibly bottling up inside.

"I love you Carl and...you're my brother...my best friend. I've always been there for you but...this time I wasn't. I should have been here with you. If I wasn't here and you-...I wouldn't be able to live with myself," she cried out and placed a wet kiss on his forehead.

"I would have given everything to trade places with you when I found out you were shot. I don't ever want to see you suffer. I never have. I feel like I failed you...failed mom...dad. All of us. I'm sorry Carl. I'm sorry," she said and this was when I decided I had enough of prying into her business. Turning my back, I left her there to let out her emotions to her brother and herself.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Stepping out, I found the others all either inside or out. I had said my thanks to each of them, to Hershel for saving his life. Patricia for assisting Hershel. Maggie for helping them with whatever they needed. Shane for getting what Hershel needed in order to save my brother and all that was left now...was Otis. We had all travelled to a nearby tree in their land and placed rocks into a pile.

I grabbed two, sniffled and bit back my tears. "I want to thank...Otis for...for saving my brother with his heroic sacrifice. If it weren't for Otis' sacrifice...Carl wouldn't be here...alive...today and...I know Carl would want to thank him too so...I'm going to place two rocks. One to say my thanks and the other to give Carl's thanks in his behalf," I state as I laid the two rocks onto the pile.

Mom and dad stood beside me as mom held onto my shoulders, gently rubbing my back to comfort me and I stood strong. "Blessed be God, father of our lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to him for the gift of our brother Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in Grace," Hershel spoke in memory of Otis. "Shane, will you speak for Otis?" Hershel asked of Shane.

"I'm not good at it. I'm sorry," Shane denied them politely but the woman who I presumed was either his wife or partner cried for him.

"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning," Patricia pleaded of Shane as Shane looked at her and then every one of us.

"Okay. We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. 'We've got to save the boy,' see, that's what he said. He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you,' and when I looked back..." Shane said as he began to limp towards the stone pile, placing one on the mountain.

"If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his," Shane told us the story which made some not entire believe it, mom and dad had faces which made me feel like doubting this story was true.

* * *

><p>"How long has this girl been lost?" Hershel asked us as we all gathered around a truck.<p>

"This'll be day three," dad tells him as he looked between all of us, the daughter of Hershel...Maggie started to walk up to us, a rolled up piece of paper in her hands.

"County survey map. Shows terrain and elevations," she informed us as she rolled out the paper onto the truck. Placing three stones on top of it to hold it down and to check it without it folding up on us.

"This is perfect. We can finally get this thing organized. We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams," dad started to explain, confirming that this was going to be better. Neater.

"Not you. Not today. You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out," Hershel said as he spoke of dad. This made me feel a little guilty. _I should have been here...for both of them. For all of them. For Carl, mom and dad._ "And your ankle...push it now, you'll be laid up a month, no good to anybody," Hershel pointed out to Shane.

"Guess it's just me," Daryl said as he fixed his crossbow a little.

"No. Not just you, I can help," I tell him and he just stayed silent, ignoring what I said and looked at the map.

"I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there," Daryl said as he looked at the map and showed us the way he would go.

"I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back," Shane suggested as he we all looked to one another.

"All right, tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right," Dad confirmed.

"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we've been promising them," Shane suggested, ensuring that this should be the time that those that don't know get the proper training they need.

"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp," Hershel declared as he told us honestly how his place was. Guns were loud and if there are around here...walkers would come by and make us run away.

"All due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here," Shane began to state, defending the chance of letting others use guns around here like it was his property.

"Look, we're guests here. This is your property and we will respect that. First things first...set camp, find Sophia," dad told us as he looked between Shane and Hershel. Me, Shane and dad placing our guns onto the map.

"I hate to be the one to ask, but somebody's got to. What happens if we find her and she's bit? I think we should all be clear on how we handle that," Shane suggested as we all looked at one another.

"You do what has to be done," dad tells us and I just nod simply.

"And her mother? What do you tell her?" Maggie asked, speaking up as she looked to all of us and the to her father.

"The truth," I tell them. _The truth is better than a lie. Honesty is the best policy. Whatever you want to say about honesty and truth. Telling lies won't get anyone anywhere._

"I'll gather and secure all the weapons. Make sure no one's carrying till we're at a practice range off site. I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience," Shane suggested, wanting to make sure that there was someone out here protecting us from any walkers getting towards us.

"Our people would feel safer, less inclined to carry a gun," dad tried to reason, after a few seconds of deliberation Hershel gave dad a firm nod of his head. "Thank you," dad replied which made us all start to separate into our own different paths.

"Daryl, Kat...You both okay going out there on your own?" Dad asked us as we all began to walk towards each other, dad was sat on the porch steps waiting for either of us to arrive.

"I'm better on my own...we'll be back before dark," Daryl hinted but then gave in when he looked at my face. He was studying it long and hard but I didn't waver.

"Give me a few minutes to go say goodbye to my family and talk to my parents?" I ask Daryl. He just gave me a nod and looked at me, up and down like he always did before he walked off to do whatever he wanted to do.

"Dad...I...I'm sorry I wasn't here for Carl...or you...or mom," I tell him but he just steps closer and shook his head at me.

"Kat...you had your reasons. I respect that. You did what a leader would do. Stay strong for the group and for those that were weaker. You did the right thing by staying there. What's important is that you're here now," he tells me as he looked into my eyes.

"Thanks dad...for understanding. I want to say that...I'm sorry for how I was acting I just...I didn't like that you were losing faith on us," I tell him and he nods.

"Tell me about it. You did what you had to make me see that. Thank you Kat. Your mom she...was having a tough time with Carl like this," he tells me. "She was thinking the same thing Jenner was. What Jacqui and Andrea were. You...you made me see what I had to. Carl did. He got shot from watching a beautiful, alive deer," he told me.

"There is always something to live for and...that chance of pulling through this...that's worth more than anything for me. You...your mom and Carl. You're all what matters most to me," he tells me and this makes me hug him tightly.

"I love you dad," I whispered to him. Holding him closely to me as I rested my head on his chest.

"I love you too Kitten," dad tells me as he held me just as tightly. The both of us stayed there, still and holding onto each other. I felt...better. Like things were going to be okay again.

I walked towards mom when she smiled at me and rubbed at my arms. "I heard...leaving already?" she asked me with a soft smile on her face. "I'm proud of what you did. As is your father. We're both proud of how old and mature you've gotten. You're a woman now...but you'll always be my baby girl," she told me as she kissed my forehead. Making me giggle at her.

Glenn suddenly ran towards us and claimed there was a walker stuck in a well. We rushed towards it to hear the hissing and growling coming from way down. The walker was...disgusting. Scales on it, fat and just plain disturbing to look at. "Looks like we've got us a swimmer," Dale said as he shone his torch down at it.

"How long you think it has been down there?" Glenn asked us.

"Long enough to grow gills. We can't leave it in there," I tell them.

"God knows what it's doing to the water," mom tells us.

"We got to get it out," Shane told us as we all examined the walker.

"Easy. Put a bullet in its head," T-Dog suggested.

"I'll get a rope," Shane started.

"Whoa whoa, guys. No," Maggie disagreed with them completely.

"Why not? It's a good plan," Glenn agreed with T-Dog.

"It's a stupid plan. If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing its brains out will finish the job," I tell them all, keeping the basics of infection and contamination clear to them. _Thank God I did biology. _

"She's right. Can't risk it," Shane agreed with me when he stopped to think about it.

"So it has to come out alive?" T-Dog asked us.

"So to speak," Shane explained subtly.

"How do we do that?" Glenn asked as we all began to put our ideas forward.

"He's not going for it," Dale told us as we dangled the rope and a piece of ham on the fishing line. The walker ignored it and kept moving away from both of them.

"Maybe 'cause a canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it," T-Dog tried to suggest to us which made me think.

"He's right. There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards," I agree and everyone looked up at me.

"We need live bait," Andrea said as we all looked down at the walker then back up to look at Glenn. Glenn was looking worried. _He can't always do the risky work. _

"I'll do it," I spoke up after a loud gulp, the rest of them looked at me and this was when I saw mom's eyes widen in shock and fear. _She doesn't want me to do it but...she's not stopping me. I can do this. I've got this. I'll be fine._

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? Should I continue? Can I have 5 reviews please? This way I can post another chapter as soon as I can! What do you think of Daryl and Kat's interactions so far? What do you think of the chapter overall? Super late so...sorry for the mistakes! Night guys!<strong>

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	9. Chapter 9: Struggle

Chapter 9: Struggle

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

_~10 years ago~_

_I drove home after a long day of work, pulling up at home, I looked up and saw Kat was by her window, she opened it as I looked up at her and saw her waving at me. Our dog Spot was by the window, barking at me and suddenly I saw Kat began to tumble._

_Gasping, she rolled around on the small roof we had and gripped onto the ledge. She was too high to catch, so I looked up at her. She was clinging onto the roof for dear life. "Hold on tight baby! Momma's coming," I shouted up at her as I began to run towards her. Opening the door, I ran up the flight of stairs and into her room._

_Carefully, I stepped over her window and along the roof. "Carl...baby, go to your room," I tell little Carl who was looking at me with those wide blue eyes they all had. He did as I said and this was when I quickly rushed to grab onto Kat's slipping hands. When I gripped onto her hands, I pulled her up slowly and watched as she grabbed onto me._

_Her eyes wide with worry and fright. "Mommy...pick me up, please. Help me," she pleaded and slowly I raised her to me, lifting her in my arms and holding onto her as I climbed back into her room. Her small arms wrapped around me tightly in a bone crushing hug. _

_"I got you baby girl, momma's got you," I reassured her and gently placed her on the ground, her long brown curls slightly messy from the almost fall to her death. She looked up at me with those big blue eyes that I loved so much. Her face pale from the fright. I gripped her face lightly, checking her to see if she got hurt. "Are you okay baby? What happened?" I ask her worried for her safety, for her close call._

_"I...I was waving to you and then suddenly...I think. I think it was Spot. I think he accidentally pushed me with his head out the window when he went to get down," she said as her eyes looked around the room, unsure of what exactly happened. "Please don't hurt Spot. It was an accident. It was an accident," Kat pleaded, her eyes getting wet from tears and her bottom lip trembling._

_"I knew we shouldn't have gotten a dog," I mumbled to myself and then looked up at Kat's sweet and innocent face. "You're okay baby girl?" I asked her again and she gave me a quick nod, her tears making her not able to speak to me._

_"Please don't hurt Spot. I...you saved me mommy. You had me like you said you would," she said and I gently pulled her into a tight hug, my hand held her back and the other gripped her comfortingly on the back of her head. _

_"It's okay baby girl. Momma's always got you. Always. God...I love you," I whispered to her and she told me she loved me too. The both of us holding onto each other tightly._

* * *

><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

"Don't worry about it, kid. We're gonna get you out of here in one piece," Shane told me kindly as he tied the knot tightly, my mom looking at me sadly as she handed me the torch. _I'll be fine. I know I will be._

"Nice and slow, please," I tell them while they got ready to lower me down into the well. Swinging the other rope around my shoulders to hook the walker into it. So that we could later pull it up and out.

"We got you," Andrea reassured me, they all grabbed onto the rope, all but Maggie as she stood there and moved around on her feet.

"Oh, you people are crazy," Maggie commented, the group began to slowly lower me down and I carefully kept my legs up as to not get grabbed.

"You want to get it out of your well or not?" Shane asked her as I slowly got closer to the walker. It's eyes looked up at me while I slowly got further down. Little by little.

"Give us an eye there, Maggie," I heard Dale say as it got darker the deeper I went down. I switched the light of the flashlight on and looked up to see Maggie looking down at me.

"Doing okay?" she asked me, curious and worried for my well-being.

"Yeah, doing great," I tell her as I slowly went further into the well, the walker growling and gurgling beneath me. Carefully, I slipped the rope off my shoulder and let it dangle between my legs, ready to catch the walker.

"Little lower. Little more," Maggie instructed as I was almost at the bottom and close enough to hook the walker in the rope.

Suddenly, I heard something snap and then felt a drop, then another long drop. "Get me out of here! Mom get me out of here! Please!" I screamed as the torch slipped out of my hand and into the well. "Oh God! Help me!" I called up as the walker tried to grab at my feet.

"Get off. Get off. Get off!" I growled at the walker as I swung the rope to hook the walker and got it. Kicking it in the face lightly enough to keep it away from me while it swung its arms up at me to get me. "Get me out!" I screamed as I heard straining and groans from above me. "Oh my God. Oh my God!" I screamed constantly, the walker reaching up to get me as my heart was pounding against my chest and ear drums.

"Baby?! Kat! Are you okay?" I could hear mom call for me. "Hold on baby! Stay calm baby. We've got you baby" she tried to comfort me as I heard her straining on the rope, the dragging sensation of the rope lifting me up made me panic a little. "Pull! That's my daughter in there!" mom screamed at the others as they all forcefully pulled me up.

Gradually I felt my body begin to lift, straining against the rope with my weight and watching as the walker became more and more distant. Staying below me, growling as it tried to reach for me but wasn't close enough as it once was. When I reached the edge, Shane's strong arms pulled me out and laid me on the ground. "I gotcha," he told me as he dropped me to the ground, away from the well.

"Momma's got you. Baby are you okay?" mom asked me as she ran to me and cupped my face, checking my skin for any scratches or bites. Panting I laid there as everyone else was panting too, me more of fright and them more of the strength they had to use to pull me up.

"Back to the drawing board," Dale said sadly, Andrea, Shane and mom kneeled beside me as they all checked me for any bites or even a scratch. When I heard Dale say this, I looked up at him and shook my head.

"Says you," I tell him and laughed to myself. Trying to regain my breath as I looked up at him. Taking one of the ropes that was in my hand, I handed it him and got to my feet again. The walker snarling as I walked off to get the ropes off my body.

"Come on, guys, pull," T-Dog encouraged us as we all began to pull on the rope, dragging the walker up as T-Dog kept watch on the well. Still injured from the cut he made when the walkers were walking in the herd. "Almost there. Come on, pull! Come on. Almost there. Keep it coming. Just a little more," T-Dog kept encouraging as we soon saw the walker get out of the water and on the rim of the well.

It was snarling up at T-Dog, trying to grab at him but laid down on its back as it growled and waved it's arms around. "You got to pull it, man," Shane told him but T-Dog shook his head and complained to us, telling us it was stuck and that it wouldn't move.

We all were straining as we held onto the rope tightly, gripping onto it and pulling on it as hard as we could "Pull!" I screamed to them, hoping they would listen and that it would be the final pull to lift the walker out of the well. To our misfortune, the walker split in half and it's guts splattered down the well, the top half rolling around. All of us fell onto our backs on the floor. "We should seal off this well," I suggested.

"Yeah, might be a good idea," Shane agreed while he rubbed his head, frustrated at the fact we couldn't get the walker out and that we contaminated the water in the end.

"So what do we do about-" Andrea went to ask as she walked to us, looking down at the pathetic walker that now ruined our water supply. Before she could finish her sentence or any of us answer, we saw T-Dog go up to the walker with a pipe and bashed its skull in.

Grunting he kept hitting it until it's brains was a puddle of blood on the ground. "Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it," he said looking at me as he dropped the pipe and walked away. I stood there, folding my arms as I looked down at the ground. Mom stood beside me and rubbed my arms, pressing a gently kiss to my temple to comfort me. _I tried...I really tried. I can't seem to do anything right._

* * *

><p><strong>CPOV<strong>

Gradually, my eyes fluttered opened, each closing of my eyes made my sight get apprehensively clearer. When I finally had a focused and not so blurred vision, I saw Kat leaning against the door frame. Her body seemed dirty from when I last saw her. I slipped my hand out from under the covers and raised it for her to take.

She gave me a small smile before she carefully walked closer to me, taking my hand in hers and taking a seat beside me. "Kat...you're here," I state, smiling more to myself than her. _God...I missed her._

"Yeah...I am. I missed you Carl. I was so...worried," she tells me, this was when I started noticing her face. She seemed so...tired, dark circles under her eyes and her hair messy. Her lips looked dry and her skin looked dull, dirty and she seemed so...stressed. "I'm sorry I wasn't here but..." she spoke as she looked to our joined hands. "I had to look for Sophia," she tells me, giving me a good enough excuse that made me smile at her.

"Yeah...dad told me you guys found her. When?" I ask her but her bright blue eyes, her long dark lashes and slightly parted pink lips looked at me. Her eyes searching me, a small crease forming on her forehead.

"We...I...Carl...Sophia is still missing," she tells me sadly which made me look at her confused and worried. I went to sit up but a stinging pain in my side made me wince and shut my eyes from the pain. Kat's warm hands gently lowered me to lay back down on the bed. "Careful Carl. Don't want you breaking those stitches," she tells me and I nod as I slowly laid back down.

"Is...did you guys find any signs? Any clues as to where she might be?" I ask her, curious as to know anything of what was happening to my friend. _Please let there be some sort of sign. _

"No...but I did go in the woods last night in search of her with Daryl..." she said which made me wonder why she was out there alone with him in the dark. _Isn't the woods meant to be dangerous?_

"Kat...you...you missed it. There was this deer, so beautiful...so close to me. Looking at me right in the eyes but...then...there was this...bang and then...blackness. I don't remember much after that, just waking up here at times to find mom or dad or both," I tell her as I tried to remember what happened to me recently.

"I know Carl. I'm glad you experienced seeing that deer but...next time...be extremly careful. I thought I lost you," Kat told me sadly, her bright blues turned sad and she leaned in to kiss my forehead. "I don't know what I would do without you," she tells me and I just sigh, looking up at her as I felt my heart warm to her presence.

"We're Grimes...we're as tough as nails," I tell her which made her giggle, a few tears escaped her eyes and made me reach my hand up to wipe at them. Wiping them away as she shut her eyes tightly and pursed her lips in a small smile.

We then heard dad clear his throat, it was deep and then a knock on the door as he slowly stepped into the room. "Didn't interrupt a moment did I?" he asked us which made us look at him and giggle.

"No dad...I was actually about to leave," Kat spoke as she looked at him and then back down at me. Her eyes scanning my face while she gently caressed my face and hair. "I need to go find Sophia...is that fine by you?" she asked me and I nod.

"You're not going alone...are you?" I asked her, concerned for her safety and for the fact anything could happen out there on her own. She smiled and shook her head at me. "If and when you find Sophia...can you tell her 'hi' and that I missed her?" I ask her and she giggled before nodding her head.

"I'm not going alone. I'll be with Daryl. I'll tell Sophia, don't worry. Be here and be good? Rest okay? For me," Kat asked me and reassured me. This made me smile at her before she kissed my cheek and kissed dad's cheek. She wandered to the door, her back turned to me, her hair up in a pony tail as her curls bounced lightly.

"I love you Kat," I called up to her and she turned to me, a smile on her lips as her hand rested against the door. _My beautiful, even when sad sister. My protector and best friend. _

"I love you too Carl," she spoke softly to me, her emotion was raw as she spoke. I knew she meant it and it made me smile, with a small nod she walked out and left me and dad alone._ Please keep her safe from any harm._

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

I looked to the group as they all sat there or were walking around and doing whatever they needed to in order to set up camp. Smiling at those who would see me and smile up at me. "You need to reconsider," I tell Hershel, my back to him as I kept my eyes on the others, Hershel walked up to me and stopped behind me.

"I beg your pardon?" he questioned me. _I need to do something. For Kat and Carl. For Lori. For the group._

"Asking us to leave," I start as I looked over my shoulder at him. "You need to reconsider. If you saw how it is out there you wouldn't ask. You're a man of belief. If you believe anything, believe that," I tried to reason, turning my body to face him.

"You're putting me on the spot," Hershel complained and shook his head once at me.

"Well, I mean to," I tell him getting closer to him, facing him as I spoke. "Those people look to me for answers. I wish they didn't, but they do...but I'm not asking for them or myself. I'm asking for my children. After the price your friend Otis paid, the least you can do is give it some thought," I try to convince him as I thought about all the things that have been happening lately.

"You're a plainspoken man," Hershel tried to explain to me, to convince me that it was my grief talking and not me. _I may be sad, stressed and slightly tired but...I know that it's safer here than it is out there. Kat and Carl need somewhere safe, not where we were before all this happened. It seems to me we haven't found our place yet but...here it's safe and that's what we all need. Safety._

"I'm a father. They're the one thing I don't want to fail," I say as I sat down on the steps. "I feel like I do every day. I lied to him this morning. It wasn't a big lie, but it was enough," I admit to Hershel feeling the guilt overwhelm me for a second.

"My father didn't bother with comforting lies. He used his fist. He was a loveless, violent drunk and no good to anybody. He drove me from home when I was 15. Didn't lay eyes on this place again for many years. I was not at his deathbed, Rick. I would not grant him that and to this day do not regret it," Hershel informed me of his past as he stood up beside me, his walking stick pressing into a step as he rested his foot on one, looking down at me.

"Some men do not earn the love of their sons or daughters," Hershel stated which made my heart pound a little in my chest. "I don't see you having that problem," Hershel said as he looked towards the group who were busy doing their things.

"Will you consider my request?" I asked him kindly, keeping my voice level and not too demanding.

"There are aspects to this, things that I can't and won't discuss...but if you and your people respect my rules...no promises, but I will consider it," Hershel said as he looked at me with warm eyes. "You have my word," he said with a small nod of his head.

"You have mine," I say after I gave a nod back, both of us standing up to our feet and shook hands firmly. _I really hope he considers us staying. We need to stay, for my family...and the group._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV <strong>

After talking to Carl and dad, I went to Dale to grab my gun and was still slightly shaken up from the well incident but soon got over it while I walked in the woods. The woods were calming and gave me a natural boost. One that relaxed me enough to feel a slightly numbing sensation. Even if there were the threat of walkers being around the corner.

"You seem so...normal about this world. Like you were designed for it," Daryl spoke as we wandered through the forest, close and yet far enough to keep watch for anything that could tell us Sophia was near or walkers were.

"Believe me...I'm not," I told him as he looked at me from the corner of his eyes, his side was always facing me and it was as though he kept up a barrier this way. "Why would you say that?" I asked him curious as to why he would think such a thing about me.

"Well...you know. You seem...different. Like you know how to protect yourself in this world and...strong...you know...survival," he tells me, he was fumbling for words to explain his thoughts on me and it made me unsure as to what he was actually asking me.

"I don't know much about survival. I just know what I know," I say as I shrug, my bow and arrow were lowly aimed, not aiming but enough to be ready to aim and fire if the moment arrived.

"I'm sure it's not just that. I mean...what did you want to do before this? What did you do to make you so...well...you?" he asked as he gave me a once over, the way his eyes trailed my body made me unsure of his intentions. Normally men who would look a girl up and down were examining them for some reason. Either it be sex or possible arguments. With Daryl it seemed this was a way of getting a good analysis of what someone's like or how they are emotionally.

"Well...last time I checked...I was 19, in college and lived at home with my parents during the weekends. I would still visit my parents during the week but...I wanted to be a...cop. I guess," I say shrugging. My head moving a little as I would speak, remembering the way life used to be before it all went to shit. _To think it wasn't long ago that this happened._

"You guess?" Daryl asked me as he continued to walk, he stayed silent but kept his eyes on me and this made me look at him curiously. His light blue eyes examined mine as he watched me attentively.

"I wasn't like normal girls," I state as I looked back to where we were walking. "Most girls would play with Barbie's and not hang around with guys. I would spend my time doing things that made me mentally and physically fit," I admitted to him which made him arch an eyebrow curiously at me.

"Archery, gun training with dad and Shane as my mentors. Took a lot of convincing for mom to agree for both of those," I said giggling to myself as I remembered that day. "I did some martial arts in the past...I used to do gymnastics," I confirmed which all seemed to be useful in this new world.

"You're right...you're not like normal girls," Daryl said which made me look at him stunned as I made a noise that sounded like a mid-gasp like laugh. He glanced up at me from the corner of his eyes with a small smirk playing on his face. _That smirk is actually quite cute...as are those blue eyes and...his ruggedly-rough-and-firm look. He's handsome in a way that I hadn't realized before._

"Says the one who was what? Outside in the woods, lost and suddenly became a great tracker and hunter slash survivor?" I suggested as I laughed lightly, this made Daryl blush lightly and shake his head. Chuckling to himself as he held onto his crossbow firmly in his hands. _Even his chuckle is...handsome. Is this even possible?_

"Not everyone is what people would define normal," Daryl said as he continued to look ahead and I followed close to his side, closer than I originally was. "I saw you crying earlier...what was that about?" Daryl asked me as he began to chew on the inside of his cheek, he seemed sad and solemn for asking me this.

"Wait...what? Were...how did you?-" I stopped, surprised he even knew about me crying earlier. _I thought we were alone, that no one was going to come in and disturb us. That no one was watching. How could he possibly know?! Was he spying on me?!_

"I was walking inside to put those meds of Merle's in the cabinet so they could keep it so...it...kinda just happened," Daryl said as he walked ahead, shrugging as he kept walking. His voice didn't crack. Didn't quiver. He must have told me the truth.

"I was sad...I did what I felt was right by the group but to my heart...I should have been there the moment T-Dog and Glenn got to the farm. I should have been by my brother's side. Supporting my parents through a tough time...for all of us," I tell him as I looked to where I was walking. Feeling the weight on my shoulders weigh me down but slowly lessening as I spoke to Daryl.

"When I wasn't there I felt...guilt. An undying need to be beside Carl. Carl he's...my best friend. My baby brother. We've been through a lot and...I never like seeing him hurt or in trouble. I don't like seeing any of my family in pain or suffering," I tell him openly. _He must know that I am loyal to my family and that I love them with a fire in my heart. _

"I get it. Family means everything right?" Daryl asked me sadly, his tone low and rough. _He must be missing Merle...God knows what either of them are going through. All I know is I would hate to be apart from Carl like that again._

"Yeah," I agree quietly, we both walked further into the woods and as I stepped on a twig, it snapped and I then saw Daryl crouch down.

"Shh. Shh. Shh," Daryl told me as he looked to me, a finger to his mouth as he signaled for me to crouch and to come closer. "See that there?" he asked me as I get closer to him and crouched. This was when I saw a small house in the distance. "Let's go...quietly," Daryl whispered, his manly, sweaty, dirty smell engulfed my nose and was oddly...nice.

His crystal blues looked into mine, our faces were so close as our eyes flickered from our facial features, studying each other's faces until we finally pulled away and slowly crept up towards the house. Daryl taking the lead as he kicked down the doors, we checked for walkers and found that there was a hiding space where someone once slept. It looked small enough to be where Sophia might of stayed the night.

"Looks like someone's been living here," I state out loud and this made him look at me. He gave a nod to agree but then we both stood there for a second, our guard down and with no other rooms to check for walkers.

"Yeah...check the bottom floor thoroughly while I check the top. Find any supplies, put them in your backpack and meet me outside," Daryl instructed as he slowly walked up the stairs, agreeing silently and about to walk into another room. "Knock on the door two times to tell me you've gone, got it?" he called down to me.

"Yes Sir," I answered as I went to check for any supplies of use to us. Food, drink, medicine, bandages and any weapons we could possibly use. When I was done, I walked out to the door and knocked two times to tell him I had left. Calling out to Sophia, I got no answer and decided to sit on the steps, waiting for him to come down.

When he finally stepped out, we called out for Sophia together and got no answer. Deciding to head back, Daryl suddenly stopped and walked towards a flower that was blooming from the ground. It was a...white Cherokee rose. He stopped to marvel at it and cut it off. _Why is he being so...peculiar?_

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

Kat had been doing other things while I was waiting for her and fixing my belongings in camp. She then asked Dale for her gun and we were soon wandering in the woods, in search for Sophia and staying silent. Both of us at the ready with our weapons in case of walkers.

"You seem so...normal about this world. Like you were designed for it," I asked her as the silence started to mess with my head. _Usually she talks until my ears feel like they're bleeding. Maybe she was just nervous last time because of her brother..._

"Believe me...I'm not," she told me while I looked at her from the corner of my eyes. She seemed to be pleased about the walk yet...she seemed to be pondering in her thoughts as I watched her curious as to what she could possibly be thinking. "Why would you say that?" she asked me curiously as I looked to her.

"Well...you know. You seem...different. Like you know how to protect yourself in this world and...strong...you know...survival," I spoke, unsure of how to word what I wanted to say to her. _Great...you now look like a fumbling mess that doesn't know what to say about anything. Idiot._

"I don't know much about survival. I just know what I know," she told me as she shrugged, my walk was slow as I tried not to make noise or to alert anything of us being out here too loudly. _Well...you are talking dumbass._

"I'm sure it's not just that. I mean...what did you want to do before this? What did you do to make you so...well...you?" I asked her, my eyes trailing her body and outlines. Taking her in properly for the first time and needing to keep my distance from her. She looked tired, a mess. Her hair was unkempt, her face slightly dull and her entire body was dirty. _She looks...rough._ _Especially with those dark circles under her bright blues._

"Well...last time I checked...I was 19, in college and lived at home with my parents during the weekends. I would still visit my parents during the week but...I wanted to be a...cop. I guess," she spoke with small movements of her head, shrugging as she thought it over and told me about herself before the world went to shit.

"You guess?" I asked her, my eyes glued to hers as she looked up into my eyes. _How can you guess what you already know? If you aspired to be something, you would know...not guess what you wanted to be._

"I wasn't like normal girls," she told me as she looked down to her feet, her blue eyes shying away from mine. "Most girls would play with Barbie's and not hang around with guys. I would spend my time doing things that made me mentally and physically fit," she informed me which made me arch a brow at her. Curious as to what she meant to that.

"Archery, gun training with dad and Shane as my mentors. Took a lot of convincing for mom to agree for both of those," she said as she giggled to herself. That twinkling, light sound made my heart warm in a strange way. "I did some martial arts in the past...I used to do gymnastics," she confirmed which made me nod to myself. _Those all seem useful for this new life._

"You're right...you're not like normal girls," I spoke which made her look up at me stunned as she made a noise that sounded like a mid-gasp like laugh. I glanced up at her from the corner of my eyes with a small smirk playing on the corner of my lips. _She's cute when she's mad. Which...I don't say about every girl I meet. Hell...could barely stand women being too close to me in the past...but her...she's different. Truly._

"Says the one who was what? Outside in the woods, lost and suddenly became a great tracker and hunter slash survivor?" she teased as she laughed lightly, this made my cheeks burn slightly and shake my head at her comment. Chuckling to myself as I gripped onto his crossbow a little more firmly than before.

"Not everyone is what people would define normal," I said as I looked ahead and she followed closely to my side, closer than we originally were. "I saw you crying earlier...what was that about?" I asked her softly as I started to gnaw on the inside of my cheek. _I don't know if I should have said that._

"Wait...what? Were...how did you?-" she began but I quickly stopped her mid sentence. She was fumbling with her words and I didn't want her to think bad of me. _Fuck. Knew I shouldn't have said that. She probably thinks you're some weirdo stalker. Shit!_

"I was walking inside to put those meds of Merle's in the cabinet so they could keep it so...it...kinda just happened," I tried to explain, walking ahead as to not show her how much I was actually freaking out about her probably thinking I'm some sort of sicko.

"I was sad...I did what I felt was right by the group but to my heart...I should have been there the moment T-Dog and Glenn got to the farm. I should have been by my brother's side. Supporting my parents through a tough time...for all of us," she explained to me as her voice sounded sad but slowly becoming more distant as she thought her words through. She meant exactly what she said.

"When I wasn't there I felt...guilt. An undying need to be beside Carl. Carl he's...my best friend. My baby brother. We've been through a lot and...I never like seeing him hurt or in trouble. I don't like seeing any of my family in pain or suffering," she spoke openly to me, showing me her soul and emotions in a way I didn't know how to respond to. _She really cares about her family. More than anyone else realized._

"I get it. Family means everything right?" I asked her softly, unsure of what else to say to that. _She seems to have such a strong bond with her family...I wish I could say the same but...not everyone's normal...right?_

"Yeah," she agreed quietly, we both walked further into the woods and I soon heard a twig snap and this is when I saw in the distance a building that looked abandoned enough to be used as shelter. My body crouching in the bushes from instinct. It was big enough to be a small house, enough to be a hiding spot for a young girl. _A young girl called Sophia._

"Shh. Shh. Shh," I told her as I looked to Kat, a finger to my mouth as I tried to hush her. Signaling for her to crouch and to come closer to me. "See that there?" I questioned her as she got closer to me and crouched accordingly. "Let's go...quietly," I whispered to her.

Her bright blue eyes looked into mine, our faces were inches apart as our eyes glanced around each others facial features. Studying each curve of her face, every detail and then pulled away when I felt the blood rush through my veins and make me feel queezy. Making my way to the house, I crept and kicked down the door. Examining the house, we found no walkers and a space where someone could have slept.

"Looks like someone's been living here," she stated bluntly and this made me look at her. I gave a nod to agree but then we both stood there for a second, silently. _It seems small enough and secure enough for it be Sophia's hide out._

"Yeah...check the bottom floor thoroughly while I check the top. Find any supplies, put them in your backpack and meet me outside," I instructed as I slowly walked up the stairs, her footsteps telling me she was about to walk away and into another room. "Knock on the door two times to tell me you've gone, got it?" I called down to her as I stopped momentarily to suggest this tactic.

"Yes Sir," I heard her mumble to me as we went to check for any supplies of use to us. Food, drink, medicine, bandages and any weapons we could use. When she had finished, she did as I asked and knocked on the front door two times. I could then hear her call for Sophia outside, no answer or movement happened so I continued to search for anything else.

When I finally stepped out, I saw her sat on the steps outside and waiting for me. We called out for Sophia together and got no answer. Deciding to head back, I then noticed a flower blooming from the grass by the house. I walked to it and knelt beside it, looking down at it and examining it. A white Cherokee rose. I cut it off to place it into my bag. Silently we headed back to camp and soon found ourselves back at the farm.

When we got there, I headed to the RV where I heard Carol would be, along the way I found a beer bottle and pulled off the label so it was clear. When I stepped in everything was...neat and...clean. "I cleaned up. Wanted it to be nice for her," Carol told me as she was sat at the back, sowing something as she waited on her little girl's arrival.

"For a second I thought I was in the wrong place," I joked lightly as she looked up at me, walking in I placed the beer bottle with the flower in it on the side table so she could see it.

"A flower?" Carol asked me confused as to why I had brought a flower along with me. Her bluish gray eyes looked up at me, her pale face seemed restless and sick with worry. _She acts calm but...she isn't. She shouldn't be._

"It's a Cherokee rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way...from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared," I started to tell her the story, her eyes watching me as I spoke.

"So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell," I told her as I was close to finishing the story for her.

"I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother...but I believe this one bloomed for your little girl," I tell her and she laughed lightly, wiping at her tears that began to form in her eyes. "She's gonna really like it in here," I admit as I gave a nod, looking over the place and began to walk out, I saw Kat stood there smiling softly at me, I just made a noise and kept walking.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

I was sat there patiently, hearing Lori tell me that Carl woke up and asked for me was...well...surprising. "Hey, dad," Carl spoke as he wriggled from his sleep, looking up at me with those blue eyes I had missed looking up at me. _Carl and Kat...two of the most beautiful children a father could ask for._

"Hey," I replied softly, sitting up from the slouching position and leaning in to get a better look at Carl. _He seems so...better since the last time he woke up. _Clearing my throat I looked down at him sadly. "Carl, I told you something earlier today about Sophia-" I started about to tell him the truth about what happened.

"I know. Kat told me," he admitted up at me, this stunned me a little but didn't surprise me. _Kat was the one searching for her, she also would never tell us a lie. Especially not Carl. She doesn't want to ever let Carl down like that. Not like I have._

"Here I was getting ready to confess. I didn't mean to lie. I just didn't want to worry you. It's a stupid excuse but it's all I got," I tried to explain as both of us would look away from time to time, I was unsure of what to say exactly and all I could think about was our safety...about Sophia.

"It's okay. Do you think we'll find her?" Carl asked me, he sounded hopeful enough but not enough to say he had faith in that we'd find her.

"I know we will. Well..." I stopped to sigh and looked down before looking back up at Carl "I don't know...but I truly believe it," I said, sounding as hopeful I could be after everything that happened to us so far.

"You look tired," he told me, a small smile on his face as he looked up at me. _Believe me boy...I'm exhausted._

Chuckling I nod at him. "I am tired," I confirmed to him which made him gasp a little, his eyes widening as he looked up at me and touched his wound.

"Hey, I'm like you now. We've both been shot. Isn't that weird?" he asked me, his hand gently rubbing the bandage that hid his shot wound. Small splotches of blood showing us where it was and where stitches now in its place.

"Yeah, I think your mother would rather hear we got the same eyes. So let's keep that between us," I tell him which made him touch the bandage again, a small smile on his lips as he laid there on the bed.

"Since you're in the club now, you get to wear the hat. Didn't you know?" I tell him as I placed the hat on his head, it fell a little and he re-adjusted it, making us both laugh and make me look at him proudly. "We'll pad the rim tomorrow so it sits better," I tell him as I sat back down beside him.

"Won't you miss it?" he asked me as his fingers touched the hat lightly.

"Maybe you'll let me borrow it from time to time," I say after thinking about it. _I'd rather miss the hat than miss you, your sister and your mom. Without you guys...I can't live. The hat doesn't compare to any of your lives._

"We can share it," he agreed as he gave me a nod, his hand holding the hat in place so it wouldn't slip.

"Okay. Sleep now," I tell him as I tucked him in, pulling the covers over him as he fiddled with the hat.

"Okay. I love you, dad," Carl said as he stopped playing with the hat and looked up at me.

"I love you," I whispered back, smiling at him softly as he watched me, my heart pounding in my chest whenever I was told that by either him, Kat or Lori. _The love I have for them...is endless._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Stepping out of the shower, I dried up and got changed. Heading to Carl's room to sleep beside him, I saw that he was wearing dad's hat and it made me smile at him. He was fast asleep, relaxed and he looked peaceful. I checked inside dad's room to see he was curled up on his side asleep and mom wasn't there beside him. _They normally never keep their door opened. _

When I went to the front room, I looked out the window and saw a figure crouching down that looked a lot like mom. Slipping on my weapon belt, I walked out and headed to where the figure crouched. Approaching her slowly, I could hear her cries as she had her head in her hands.

"Mom?" I called to her softly, keeping a distance as I watched her wipe at her eyes and hide something behind her back. She slipped on her pants and stood up straight as she turned to me.

"Hey baby girl...I was just...out here...doing a number 1," she informs me as she didn't look me in the eyes. I got up close to her, seeing the knife and then her hands behind her back.

"Mom...what's going on?" I asked her curious as to why she would be out here alone, taking a piss when she could be inside doing that or in the RV. The only protection she had was the knife that was dug into a wooden log beside her.

"Nothing," she lied and her eyes were wide as she looked up at me.

"Mom...don't lie to me," I tell her. "You expect me to believe that? You could have gone to the toilet at the farmhouse, you could go into the RV and do your business. Carl is fine. Dad is fine. I am fine...so why are you crying?" I asked her and she just sighed. She slipped her hand out from behind her back and gave me a white stick.

When I took it, I looked down at it and noticed what it was. A red plus symbol was on it. Everything added up now...made sense to me. She's crying, taking a piss alone and in the dark where no one would see..."You're pregnant," I whispered.

Mom started to hush me as she heard me say this. Her hair a mess and her face wet from her tears. "Please...don't say it too loud and...don't tell anyone. Please," she pleaded to me as her eyes started to pool with tears.

"You don't know who the father is...do you?" I asked her curious as to whose child could be growing inside my mom's stomach. She shook her head and began to cry silently. Grabbing onto her, I pulled her firmly to me and gently rubbed her back. Comforting her the best I could, while she gripped me tightly and sobbed into my chest...

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><p><strong>What do you think? Did you like this chapter? Can you predict what will happen in later chapters? Can I have 5 reviews please? Do you like CPOV? <strong>

**Do you hate Lori in this story? Or do you like her a little more than show Lori? In all honesty...I didn't hate Lori, I just didn't like some of the decisions she made when it came to how she cared for her husband, Shane and Carl. **

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	10. Chapter 10: Hallucinations

Chapter 10: Hallucinations

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~3 months before Rick got shot~_

_Gradually I walked to my parents bedroom door, knocking on it lightly and waiting outside for an answer. It was late at night and all I could do was think about my friend. Worried for her well-being and her situation back in her home, I heard my parents tell me to enter. Mom was slipping off her earings and dad was patting his chin down and checking his stubble._

_"Mom...dad...I need to talk to you two," I tell them and they both look at me then to each other. When they finally looked to me, they could probably tell it was going to be something serious. They both finished whatever they were doing quickly and sat down on the bed, leaving a space for me and mom tapped the space for me to sit down._

_"What's on your mind baby girl?" mom asked me and I sat down, fiddling my thumbs and looking down at them. I was unsure of what to say, they knew the story seeing as I asked dad to keep an eye out for Ella and..._

_"Ella...she's...she's not talked to me for over two years. Not since she moved back in with her dad. I'm...worried," I tell them and they just look at me sadly, mom's hand reached out to rub my back soothingly and dad's hand raised to touch my shoulder. He squeezed my shoulder kindly and looked at me sadly._

_"She could just have...I don't know...got busy with her life and forgot to talk to you," mom tried to suggest comfortingly but I shook my head and kept my head lowered._

_"It's not just that mom. She's...no one's seen her around town. Maybe her dad...God..." I sighed out as I dropped my head in my hands, I felt the bed beside me move and then saw dad crouch down in front of me._

_"Hey," dad said as he gently gripped my knees and gave them a small squeeze. My head slowly lifting from my hands to let my eyes look up at his from under my lashes. "If it makes you feel better...I'll check in on her and get back to you. In the meantime...don't worry. Okay?" dad asked me and I just nod at him._

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><p><strong>Present day...KPOV <strong>

"Morning, guys. Let's get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover," dad told us as he walked towards the group, I had just woken up and checked up on Carl. He was still sleeping but I woke him up and fed him breakfast. Mom was still sleeping but she soon enough woke up, had breakfast and started putting laundry to dry.

"All right, everyone's getting new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl and Kat found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far," dad told us as we all gathered around the map he laid out on the truck that Hershel let us borrow.

"I'd like to help. I know the area pretty well and stuff," the farmer's boy...Jimmy said as he walked towards us. His hands were in his pockets as he stopped to stand beside me, looking down at the map and then up to me and my dad.

"Hershel's okay with this?" dad asked him, raising an eyebrow at the boy and Daryl quickly slipped on a shirt. _Daryl was really sweet the other day to Carol. Telling her the tale of the Cherokee rose and making her have hope. Making me have more hope than what I already had. _

"Yeah yeah. He said I should ask you," Jimmy said as he looked at dad but then to me, when he gave a nod he looked to my dad and then looked at Daryl. _This boy is too nervous...he's lying. _

"All right then. Thanks," dad said nodding, looking back down at the map as I looked up and saw Shane sat down on his ass looking away from the rest of us.

"Nothing about what Daryl and Kat found screams Sophia to me. Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse," Shane spoke negatively. _Where did his hope go? Why...why is he being so...lazy and just...giving up with this whole search?_

"Anybody includes her, right?" I asked him, trying to make him realize that Sophia may still be out there and waiting for us. _She has to be. I know she is. She's a strong girl. Like her momma. She'll survive. She has to._

"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high," Daryl explained to us, he made an estimate of the height with his hand and craned his neck to get a better look at the map. His brown hair was messy from sleep and his blue eyes slightly tired. _Could have been the heat, it was a bit of a bitch and that was me being in the room, sat beside Carl as we slept._

"It's a good lead," Andrea agreed as she gave both me and Daryl a quick nod of her head. She was looking at the map when she finally finished.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," dad said hopeful as he looked at Daryl and then to me. _His hope is going up again. He's got faith that things will get better. I can see it. _Seeing the hope in his eyes made me smile up at him.

"No maybe about it. I'm gonna borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right here, take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot her," he told us as we watched where he was indicating where he would go and have a look at.

"I'll come with you," I tell him and gave him a nod. The others all nod and Daryl just stayed silent. _It's better to work in teams than to work alone. He doesn't need to work alone and I won't let him. _

"Good idea. Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too," T-Dog teased which made me giggle quietly, making dad look at both me and then back at Daryl.

"Chupacabra?" dad asked confused as Dale walked over to us and placed the bag of guns on top of the map. Dad's eyes roamed the entire group and landed on Dale as he spoke to us.

"You never heard this? Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time when he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra," Dale informed the rest of us which made me have to burst out laughing, covering my mouth with my hand to stop the giggles that were exiting from there. It made my dad smile and shake his head. Jimmy just looked at Daryl, then me and chuckled.

"What are you braying at, jackass?" Daryl growled at the boy who stood beside me. This made me shut up, my eyes widened a fraction of a second and then I looked down ashamed of my laughter.

"You believe in a blood-sucking dog?" dad asked Daryl slightly amused as he smirked and then looked at me. _Daryl always knew how to change my mood, why I laughed at the whole chupacabra thing...I don't know why._

"Do you believe dead people walking around?" dad asked him and this made us all nod. Jimmy reached out and took one of our guns from the truck.

"Hey hey," dad said as he gripped onto the boy and the gun, slowly taking the gun off Jimmy and looking up at him. "Ever fire one before?" dad asked him as dad took the gun and held it in his hands.

"Well, if I'm going out, I want one," Jimmy said stupidly which made Daryl make a small noise, swinging his crossbow and slipping it to rest on his back like he usually did.

"Yeah, and people in hell want slurpees," Daryl joked sarcastically, walking away and I reached up onto my tiptoes to press a kiss to dad's cheek. Rushing off to go with Daryl and to prepare the horse.

I showed Daryl how to get the horse saddled and he got up first. Holding his hand out to me, I shyly looked down at it and then back into his eyes. Taking it, he helped pull me up and gave me his crossbow to hold onto. Slipping my arms around him, he made the horse move forward and I held onto him as we rode off into the woods.

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

Me and Shane were talking about the women he slept around with. Also the girls I dated back in high school. My list wasn't as long as his but it was good to remember what it was like. Of those who were in our life and laughed about how dumb we were in those years, cracking jokes and remembering those who we possibly lost.

"All the people in our stories are all dead," Shane said as he walked ahead, his busted ankle made him wobble from side to side and I trailed behind him.

"We can't just forget them," I tell him, trying to keep our hopes up and the faith._ We can't just forget those who made us into who we are today, or those that once mattered because the world has changed. We can go back to how things used to be, we just need to keep hope that it can._

"The hell we can't," Shane said after making a noise of disagreement.

"It's hard enough accepting what's happened without digging up the past," Shane said as he took off his cap and wiped at his nose. "I'll tell you what it is. It's nostalgia. It's like a drug. Keeps you from seeing things the way they are. That's a danger. You got people depending on you," he told me, pointing it out in the most blatant way.

"You think I don't know that?" I asked him as he slowed down and stopped to look at me. I edged further away from him at the thought of him doubting me. _He's...changed. He would never doubt me or go against me. He would keep going and doing what was right. Not...this. _

"I don't know," Shane said as he shrugged his shoulders at me. "What are we doing?" he asked me curiously. "You got every able body at your disposal out scourging these woods for a little girl we both know is likely dead," he tells me and I just shuffled on my feet.

"You think we should abandon the search?" I asked him, changing the weight on my feet and getting closer to him. _I hope he disagrees with me and keeps looking. We need to keep pushing, we need to locate that girl and bring her to safety. Back to her mother._

"It's not my call, is it?" Shane said as he didn't look me in the eyes, he slipped on his cap back over his now bald head and kept walking. Walking away from me.

"I'm asking," I told him as he gave me his back. "I'm asking," I pleaded, my voice a little louder so that he could hear me and followed him closely.

"Survival, Rick. It means making hard decisions...but you've got this knack. You spread us thinner and thinner. I'm trying to save lives here and you're out saving cats from trees," Shane said which made me widen my eyes at him and suddenly feel anger rush through my veins.

"Is that what you think Sophia is, a cat in a tree?" I asked him, surprised he would even think the girl is just some minor thing to try and save. Going another way, I got close enough and stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't do that, man. Don't twist my words. How many times we get called up to look for a missing child, man? You got 72 hours. After 73 hours you're looking for a body...and that was before. I mean you honestly think we're just gonna find Sophia alive?" he questioned me as he brought in the past again.

"Are you that sure we won't?" I asked him as I was curious as to what he was thinking. As to what he was truly wanting to say. To not bottle it up and to let it out.

"We being completely honest?" Shane asked me in return as he looked me directly in the eyes.

"I'm counting on you to be," I state to him. _He's my partner. My brother. I always want honesty between us. _He sighed and looked away from me as he thought of what to say to me.

"It's math, man. Alive or not, Sophia, she only matters to the degree in which she don't drag the rest of us down," Shane said which made my face twist with disgust to his words. _I thought he wanted to find this girl. To bring her back to her mom. To do good. _My facial expression made Shane laugh dryly, sarcastically.

"I thought you wanted honest," he said as he turned his back on me and hit his fist hard against a tree, making it wobble and shake. "If we'd just moved on, man, we'd be halfway to fort benning right now and Carl wouldn't have gotten shot. You said so yourself...but we're out here, we're risking lives," Shane told me angered with my words and decisions.

"Your own son almost died. Man, Otis, he paid that bill. What the hell are we still doing this for?" Shane questioned me as his voice raised, he was angered and I could tell.

"I had her in my hand, Shane. She looked in my eyes and trusted me. I failed her. If I hadn't, she wouldn't be out here. I think she's still alive and I'm not gunna- I'm not gonna write her off," I tell him as I walked closer to him. "You didn't write Kat off when she went missing all those years ago," I tell him and reminded him of the time when Kat got missing that cold night.

"Those times have changed Rick! This world isn't the same anymore. Kat was lost, young and there weren't no God damned walkers roaming around Rick! This world is dangerous for kids like Sophia Rick! Don't you see that?!" Shane answered me, he then started asking me questions and I just pursed my lips.

"True...but you didn't give up hope on finding her. I won't freeze up like I did when it was her. Not anymore. If that was Carl...or Kat...would you want to abandon the search?" I asked him and he just looked away, shaking his head to himself and he turned away from me angered.

"It's blue. It's Andrea and T-Dog. Looks like we wandered into their grid," Shane explained as he looked to the cloth that was nailed into a tree, to indicate this area had been searched from their individual grids. Without another word, he turned his back on me and continued to walk.

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><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

We were on the horse for a while, wandering around the woods in search of Sophia and found nothing. Kat slowly slipped her arms out from my waist and leaned back. "Daryl...can you slow the horse to a stop please?" she asked me softly, politely and it made me look back at her when the horse gradually came to a halt.

"What's wrong?" I asked her curious as to why she'd want me to stop and this was when I felt her body slide down the side and leave the saddle. Her feet thumping lightly to the ground as she touched it. "What're you doing?" I questioned her stunned that she got off the horse.

"I'll cover the low ground, you cover the high and get a view of the land. I'll keep searching and then we'll make our way back before the sun starts to set," she informed me. _Well...she is a smart girl..._"Here. Have your crossbow," she tells me and hands me my crossbow, flinging it over my shoulder and looking down at her.

"Are you sure you want to be around here alone?" I ask her and she gave me a small nod. Her brown curls were up in a bun, some curls escaping it and would bounce with every move she made. Her bow was around her torso and her quiver on her back. She had her gun, knife and machete. _She's more than capable of protecting herself I just...hope she can survive if there's a herd coming our way._

Nodding, I watched as she wandered off into the woods and I rode the horse to get a clear view of the ground. I walked for a few more minutes, far enough from where I left her and close enough to my half of the grid that was now split with Kat. Killing a squirrel, I pulled out the arrow and stored the squirrel somewhere safe. Looking down, I saw a small creek and then something in the water by a log. Getting down, I tied the rope to the tree and held the horse how Kat showed me.

Slipping my crossbow off my back, I held it tightly and slowly made my way down the hill. Reaching the floor, I wandered closer to the object and picked it up. Examining it I noticed it was a doll. _Sophia's doll._ "Sophia!" I called to her, hoping she would hear and received no response.

Climbing up the hill, I mounted back onto the saddle and rode us to turn back slowly, to circle around the creek and get a good view of the land. "Whoa. Easy easy," I tried to calm down the horse as it saw a group of crows fly out of the bushes. "Whoa whoa whoa!" I tried to calm the horse as it saw a snake and got up onto its back two feet.

Suddenly, I lost my grip and flew off the saddle. Tumbling down the hill and into a small waterfall, my body hitting and sliding along the slippery rocks. Dropping into the water, I landed on my side and looked up at the hill. The horse had run off and left me here. "Son of a bitch," I cursed as I felt a jabbing sensation in my side, reaching for it, I then felt the tip of one of my arrows and hissed.

Gripping onto my side, I got to my feet and eventually made my way to the dry patch of ground. Pulling out my knife, I cut off my sleeves and tied them together. Wrapping the sleeves around my waist, I made it into a knot and pulled tightly, as to stop the blood flow, to keep the arrow in place and to prevent blood loss.

Looking up I saw I had a long way to go. Getting back onto my feet, I clutched to my side and panted in pain. Grabbing a long enough stick, I started to dig it into the ground to check if it could support my weight and not snap. The pain in my side making me grasp at it from the straining. Suddenly, I heard rustling coming from the bushes and looked towards it. _Fuck me. Please don't let it be a walker._

I went to reach for my crossbow, touching my back and not my weapon. Fumbling around on my feet, I got back into the water and started searching for it with the stick. Poking it around in the water, waiting for the feeling of metal touching the stick and soon found it. Digging my hand, it touched the ground and lifted the crossbow up in the air. Making my way back into the dry land.

Using the stick to find solid ground, I gradually lifted myself up and made my way to the top. Groaning from the pain and straining. The effort I was putting in was painful, the ache in my side was unbearable and I felt as though my mind was spinning. "Oh, come on. You've done half. Stop being such a pussy," I encouraged myself after I reached half way and threw the stick down, not needing it anymore.

"Come on," I encouraged myself again but soon found myself slipping down the slope. Grabbing onto any trees or roots, I gripped onto it and tried to hold on. Grasping, I tried to keep my feet firm on the ground but soon found myself tumbling down again and landing on the ground hard.

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"Mind your own business, Glenn," I told him as I walked past him. He had lately been finding supplies for me. Making a run into town to get me the pregnancy test, he clearly had his questions and I didn't want to answer them nor needed to.

"You're pregnant," Glenn said quietly but loud enough for anyone who was close by to hear. _Worse enough Kat knows, now he knows and Rick doesn't. He can't what...what if it's Shane's? What if...if it is Ricks?! Fuck...what a mess I've got myself into. _

"You can't tell anybody, okay?" I pleaded him quietly as I placed the bucket I had in my hands on the floor, Glenn looked over my shoulder, off into the distance and then looked at me again. Turning around, I saw Shane and Rick making their way towards us, back to the farm.

"You haven't told him yet?" Glenn asked me when I turned back to look at him, his eyes meeting mine and going wide with shock slash anger.

Turning my back on him, he turned and left. Dipping out the dirty laundry water from the bucket, I made my way to the truck and looked to Rick who was making his way to me. "Something wrong?" I asked him as I looked between him and Shane who looked distant and quiet together.

"I just had a long talk with Shane..." Rick told me which made my eyes widen in shock horror. _Please don't let it be about me...about the time me and Shane were..._"He wants to call off the search," Rick said, pulling me out of my thoughts and made me relax a little. _Thank God._

"What do you think?" I asked him, keeping my voice level and soft as to not show the fear that was inside me just minutes ago.

"What if it was Carl or Kat? Would you want us to keep looking?" he asked me which made my eyes widened. _It's happened once with Kat and I would never stop looking for my children._

"If it was Carl or Kat, yes I'd want to know one way or another," I tell him admitting that I would prefer to know exactly what happened to them and if they were still alive. _It's better knowing than always wondering._

"Shane says my good intentions are making us weaker, that I can't make the hard decisions for the good of the group," Rick tells me, sadness and mistrust in his tone as he spoke of Shane. Doubt colouring his face as he told me of what was going on.

"They're all hard decisions," I tell him comfortingly. _There isn't a right or wrong decision anymore. There are just issues that come in our way and can make us do the hard thing when we think that it's the easy way out. No decision is every easy._

"But maybe I'm holding on to a way of thinking that doesn't make sense anymore. He says it's math, basic survival, how much fuel, how much food, how much ammo. Not much room in that equation for being soft. It's pretty simple when you start thinking of life like that," Rick spoke which seemed so low to talk about. Like nothing was ever going to make sense or benefit anyone if the only goal was to survive.

"Hey," I said as I cupped his face, making him look directly into my eyes. "None of us were prepared to be living life this way. You are making the best decisions you can with the information you have. I don't see soft in that," I tell him, keeping my strong face and determined tone. _He needs to know I support him and that we all do. _

"Mr Grimes. My dad wants to talk to you," the young girl Beth said as she stopped to stand behind us, looking at us awkwardly as though she caught us at a bad moment or a wrong time. Letting go of Rick's face, I looked behind me and down. Rick walked off to leave me alone to my thoughts and chores.

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"One of my horses is missing. Did one of your people take it?" Hershel asked me as he was tending to some...generator? I wasn't sure, all I know was his light blue eyes were looking at me and he seemed unamused by this fact.

"I was given the impression you knew about that," I told him honestly, unsure of what else to tell him.

"I did not," he told me slightly angered, his tone was never-changing and it would anger me at times. _It's like he has no emotions. Like he doesn't want to express his anger and only stays calm. _

"I'll have a word with Daryl and Kat," I reassured him as I thought of my daughter out there, with Daryl, looking for Sophia out in the woods. _I just hope she's safe and that Daryl's taking care of her if there are any walkers around._

"And Jimmy? You took him out today. Did he also give you the impression of my consent?" Hershel questioned me, as though I was stupid and possibly thinking I was under him in some way. _This may be his farm and his rules but...if I have been given the word of someone, I expect it to be true rather than to question them and cause headache to their carer._

"No, he said it outright. I took the boy at his word," I tell him honestly, hopeful that he would believe me even if it wasn't a lie.

"Jimmy is 17. He's not my kin but I am responsible for him. These things need to be cleared with me," he tells me as he finished off doing whatever he was doing to the machine.

"Sounds like we need to work on our communication. What do you suggest?" I ask him, my eyes wandering to look around rather than directly at him. _Hershel is slightly intimidating this way and I don't want to come across as a threat._

"Keep it simple. I'll control my people, you control yours," he tells me, giving him a single firm nod, I turn my back and head back to the others.

"Dad!" I heard the familiar voice of Kat call out to me as she speed walked towards me.

"Talking about my daughter...and she shall appear," I told myself, chuckling lightly and then I looked to her questioningly as she seemed to be in a rush. "What's wrong Kat?" I asked her as I slowed down, she was getting closer and her curls bounced. What was once in a bun was now up, her curls down but was up away from her face and not cascading below her shoulders.

"Nothing, just...didn't find her or anything..." she answered me honestly, looking slightly disappointed as she got closer to me. She slowed down and tried to regain her breath.

"Where's Daryl and the horse?" I asked her as I realized she wasn't with the horse...or Daryl. _What the hell happened? Where is he and the horse? Could he be placing it in the stables?_

"He went somewhere, he wanted to get the high view while I took the low view of the land and found nothing," she answered my question honestly. My brows furrowed but I just nod and pulled her to me. Giving her a kiss on the forehead, I looked to the house and thought of Carl in there.

"Okay then, why don't you head inside and I'll be there soon...yeah?" I suggested to her and she just wrapped her arms around me, holding me in a hug and placing her head on my chest. When she moved away to look up at me, I placed my hand gently on her cheek, my thumb caressing it carefully and smiled at her.

"Fine. Love you daddy," she told me, her bright blues sparkling as she spoke and her pale, curved face was angelic even with all mud and dirt that covered it.

"Love you too Kitten," I answered as I pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead and allowed for her to head towards the house. When she was gone, I decided to go look for Shane and to talk to others who may be in need of some help.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Mom! Dad?!" I called to my parents as I rushed down the stairs to find them stood there chatting. It had been hours since I was out there with Daryl, he still hadn't returned and I was getting worried.

"Kat? What's wrong?" dad asked me kindly while I ran to them, they looked to me and watched as I got closer to them, stopping in front of them, they kept their eyes locked to mine.

"Daryl," I state as I looked between the two of them. "He's been out there for too long," I tell them and they look to each other and then back to me. Dad rest his hands on my shoulders as he stood closer to me.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine out there. He's a tough one. I know he is," dad tried to reassure me but I shook my head. Feeling stubborn as to Daryl's well being. Guilt suddenly rushed through my body at the thought of something happening to him.

"What...what if he's bit? What if walkers got him?" I asked him. _I don't want his blood on my hands. I have such a weird feeling in my stomach, like...I shouldn't have left him and its eating me alive. It hurts so bad..._

"Kat...he'll be fine. I'm sure of it," dad told me, his bright blues staring right into mine as I was then pulled into a hug and his gentle lips pressed my forehead. _Dad always knows what to say and do but...I can't shake the feeling something has gone terribly wrong._

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

Hearing footsteps come closer to me, I moved my head a little and looked up. My vision was blurred but with every second and every blink, my vision got clearer. I saw..._holy fuck. Am I dreaming?_ "Why don't you pull that arrow out, dummy? You could bind your wound better," Merle's rough voice spoke to me as he crouched enough to look me in the eyes.

"Merle," I said with a small smile on my lips. This earned me a small laugh from Merle and then he examined my situation.

"What's going on here? You taking a siesta or something?" he asked me teasingly. _He never fucking changes, even when he sees I'm having a tough fucking time._

"A shitty day, bro," I told him. My body felt like a tonne of bricks was piled on me from all the falling down and the pain in my side was burning from the fall I had earlier.

"Like me to get your pillow? Maybe rub your feet?" Merle joked sarcastically.

"Screw you," I growled at him. _Always the dick. Always the same old Merle._

"Huh-uh. You're the one screwed from the looks of it. All them years I spent trying to make a man of you, this is what I get? Look at you. Lying in the dirt like a used rubber. You're gonna die out here, brother...and for what?" Merle questioned me. Questioned my motives.

"A girl," I said to him, first it was a pair of bright pretty blue ones that I could see looking at me. They then changed into hazel ones, ones of a smaller and younger nature. "They lost a little girl," I tell him of why I would risk my life like this.

"So you got a thing for little girls now?" Merle joked teasingly, disturbingly and completely uncalled for.

"Shut up," I growled up at him. _What an ass of a brother I have._

"'Cause I noticed you ain't out looking for old Merle no more," Merle told me, trying to make me feel guilty for him like that.

"Tried like hell to find you, bro," I tell him as I remembered seeing his hand on the rooftop, the bloody cuffs and the anger, sadness I felt over it all.

"Like hell you did. You split, man. Lit out first chance you got," he told me, my eyes were shutting every so often and my head felt heavy.

"You lit out. All you had to do was wait. We went back for you. Rick and I, we did right by you," I mumbled a little as I felt the weight of the spinning in my head, the ringing in my ears and the pains all over my body take me. My eyes shutting for longer amounts of time.

"This the same Rick that cuffed me to the rooftop in the first place? Forced me to cut off my own hand? This him we're talking about here?" he spoke which made me eyes widen at the thought it was Rick who still ended up cuffing my brother to a roof. Looking down at where Merle's missing hand should have been, I found non. _What the fuck?_ "You his bitch now?" he asked me, insulting me and teasing me in a way I didn't like.

"I ain't nobody's bitch," I growled up at him, not liking the way he was trying to encourage me to get up and do something. _He doesn't have to be that much of a prick about it. _

"You're a joke is what you are, playing errand boy to a bunch of pansy-asses, niggers and democrats. You're nothing but a freak to them. Redneck trash. That's all you are. They're laughing at you behind your back. You know that, don't you? I got a little news for you, son. One day they gonna scrape you off their heels like you was dogshit," he told me. _Why doesn't he just shut the fuck up and leave me alone?_

"Hey," he said as he pat my chest once, to get me to keep my eyes opened and look at him. "They ain't your kin, your blood. Hell, you had any damn nuts in that sack of yours, you'd got back there and shoot your pal Rick in the face for me. Now you listen to me," he said as he took my chin between three of his fingers. "Ain't nobody ever gonna care about you except me, little brother. Ain't nobody ever will," he said as he patted my chin.

"You're lying," I told him, my mind drifting a little and making me look up at him slightly angry, my eyes rolling as I felt the weight pull me under some more.

"Why? You think that long lashed, doe eyed pretty girl would ever like you? Would ever care about you like I do?" he said and then laughed that rough, cracked up laugh he always did. "You really are high right now ain't ya?" he asked me. "Come on, get up on your feet and get some pussy before I have to kick your teeth in," he said with a firm pat of my chest and stood up straight. "Let's go," he told me as he began to kick the heel of my shoe.

My mind began to clear up as I heard gurgling coming from where my feet was, my leg wobbling a little from the impact of a walker had as it gripped my shoe. Trying to eat my shoe, it growled and clung to my shoes and legs. When it saw me notice it, the walker looked up and snarled at me.

Panicked, I shuffled up and tried to move away from it. Kicking it in the face with my free foot, I shuffled closer to my crossbow and saw him pounce on top of me. Grabbing my knife, I tried to aim for its head but we rolled around. Getting a good stab to its elbows and a few times into it's neck. Throwing him to one side, I got to my knees and picked up the stick I threw down a while ago.

The walker got to his feet and started to walk to me, knocking it to its back with the stick, I climbed on top of it and smashed its head in. Groaning and panting as I did so. Seeing a walker make its way towards me, I laid down and pulled the arrow out of me, trying not to scream.

Holding the bolt between my teeth, I picked up my crossbow and pulled the string back. Straining and groaning as I got it in place, slipping the arrow in and watching the walker get closer to me. Laying back down, I watched the walker get super close, aiming and shooting, it went into its head and fell face first to the floor.

Panting, I sat up and moved to sit up on a rock. Sitting down, I took off my shirt and folded it up to place it against my now opened wound. Tying the sleeves around my waist, I pulled tightly and lifted my crossbow to keep it in my hands. "Son of a bitch was right," I mumbled as I felt like I had tended to my wound better now without the arrow inside me.

After fixing up my wound a little, I grabbed the squirrel I hunted and pulled the knife out of the walker's neck. Placing the squirrel onto the log, I cut it open and ate it raw. Trying to gain some of that blood I had lost before and now due to the wound being opened.

Grabbing the doll, I placed it to dangle and gripped the sleeves that held it to me tightly. Making sure it was secure. Taking my knife, I took off some of the black shoelaces from the walker and cut off both of their ears. Stringing it on the shoelace, I made a knot and placed it over my head to let it dangle around my neck.

Gaining the strength, I grabbed my stick and began to climb up with it. Using the stick for support, I would grip onto the trees and climb up the hill. Feeling my side sting and burn from the pain, I hissed and gripped onto the tree tightly, looking up I saw birds fly above me. _Fuck...Vultures..._

"Please, don't feed the birds," Merle's voice teased. Looking up, I saw Merle above and looking down at me. "What's the matter, Darylina? That all you got in you?" he asked me as I strained myself to try and get up. "Throw away that purse and climb," he told me, while I stopped and panted before finding strength in me to keep moving, shuffling to get to the top.

"I liked it better when you was missing," I admitted to him. This only made him chuckle that raspy, sarcastically amused chuckle he had. _Always looking down on me, talking to me like I was nothing. He always thinks he's better than everyone else. Asshole _

"Come on, don't be like that. I'm on your side," Merle shouted down at me, for a small glimpse, I looked up and saw him bending a little, his hands on his knees as he didn't even try to help me up. _Don't need his help anyway. Don't need anyone._

"Yeah? Since when?" I questioned him, remembering all the time I spent alone and not once was he there to help me through any tough situation. _If there's anything I've learnt from Merle is to look out for number 1. Ourselves. _

"Hell, since the day you were born, baby brother. Somebody had to look after your worthless ass," Merle growled down at me, trying to convince me that he was my guardian. That he was my perfect brother. _Like he could ever be compared to how Kat looks out for Carl. She'd do anything and everything for Carl...for her family._

"You never took care of me. You talk a big game but you was never there. Hell, you ain't here now. Guess some things never change," I tell him as I slowly shuffled further up and watched as he kept his eyes on me. _He's just an illusion, some hallucination after the fall._

"Well, I'll tell you what I'm as real as your _chupacabra_," he told me which made me slightly angry with him. _You cut off your hand and left me. You ain't here and you'll never be here...not anymore._

"I know what I saw," I growled up at him as I tried to jump up the hill, forcing my body up and not reaching very far up. _Fuck. Why is this harder than what I thought it was going to be in my head?!_

"And I'm sure them shrooms you ate had nothing to do with it, right?" Merle joked trying to make me seem like a drug addict. "Just like you can see that pretty blue eyed girl wanting to be with you? What was her name again? Kristy? Kristen? Kitty?" Merle asked me which made my heart pound more than it already was in my chest. _What? Why the fuck is he mentioning her?!_

"Katherine," I growled up to him, forcing myself to try and turn around. Looking up to him as he spoke the next part.

"Oh yeah! That pal of yours Rick's daughter," Merle teased, knowing how much he hated Rick and how I still wasn't happy with him leaving Merle to that rooftop. "Guess what baby brother? She ain't gonna let you lay a hand on her. Not on her titties not on anything," Merle said which made me grit my teeth, clawing up as well as I could up the hill.

"Especially not big ol' daddy Rick. He'd rather she died than have some redneck white trash like you be anywhere near his daughter," Merle said which made my heart drop but the blood in my veins boil. _Rick ain't got anything to do with Kat. It's her choice and yeah...she may not want me but...I don't want to see her hurt. _

"You'd best shut the hell up," I shouted up at him, knowing he finally got on my final nerve. _I'm gunna climb and I'm gunna make sure that Kat's safe. That she's well and happy. Maybe even fucking kiss those soft red lips of hers! _

"Or what? You're gonna come up here and shut my mouth for me? Well, come on and do it then, if you think you're man enough," Merle said as he stood up straight with his arms out either side, palms facing to the sky and glaring down at me.

"Hey, kick off them damn high heels and climb, son," he told me while he laughed, which only made me force myself to climb more than I had already had. I had been climbing since he mentioned Kat. Climbing as well as I could, I gripped onto anything that would give me support.

"You know what? If I were you I'd take a pause for the cause, brother. 'Cause I just don't think you're gonna make it to the top," he said as I gripped the trees and lifted my lower torso. Forcing myself to climb up and to keep going. "Come on. Come on, little brother. Grab your friend Rick's hand," Merle said as he gave me his hand, reaching out for me but not in the most trustful way.

I kept climbing, struggling but doing everything in my power to get up there and to beat his face in. "Yeah, you'd better run," I screamed out when I finally got up the top, searching around for Merle but he had already left. This was when I decided to make my way back to the farm, never looking back and keeping the doll tightly to me.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Walker. Walker!" Andrea screamed out into the distance as she stood up, I was going to speak to dad about Daryl again when I heard Andrea announce this. Rushing out dad and I went to talk to her, Shane limping his way towards us as Glenn and T-Dog followed closely.

"Just the one?" dad asked her as he rushed forward, I stuck closely behind and he tried to push me back. Ignoring his shoves, I moved to follow him and felt my fingers inch closer to my machete and handgun.

"I bet I can nail it from here," Andrea said as she lowered the binoculars back to where she picked them up and raised the rifle up to aim at the lonely walker. I grabbed my machete and walked in front of the RV, looking out into the distance. I saw a figure limping, swaying and moving closer towards us.

"No no, Andrea. Put the gun down," I tell her, angered that she would risk all our lives for a single walker. _Did she fucking forget that there was a herd out there and that with one single gunshot, they can all come back to us?! _

"You'd best let us handle this," Shane spoke, his shirt was undone and he had a pickaxe in his hands. T-Dog followed closer to Shane and held a baseball bat in his hand. Dad lowered my machete and I looked at him confused.

"Shane, hold up. Hershel wants to deal with walkers," dad explained as he looked to all of us, nodding I agreed and slipped my machete into my holster. _Hershel's farm, his rules and we have to respect it. _

"What for, man? We got it covered," Shane questioned my dad, reasoning that they were fine with killing this single walker. Dad went to run back in, instead I grabbed his arm and passed him my gun. He accepted it and ran after them, following dad's lead, I went to the front and kept close to dad.

Running, we got closer and closer to the walker as it moved towards us. It's swaying body dragging something along with it, all of us ran towards it. Shane making weird noises as he limped his way across the field, while me and dad quickly ran down the field to get to it first.

What surprised me was when we slowed down, reaching the walker that kept making its way closer to us. It's eyes looked up at me. Crystal blue. His hair messy, body dirty, shirt torn apart and around his waist, his face bloody, his side injured and blood covered one knock he had in his head. He looked wild, animalistic and crazed.

When I saw him, my eyes widened and he looked at me. Dad had his gun raised up at Daryl, unsure if he was a walker or if Daryl was just...injured. _Oh fuck...please tell me he's just injured and that he's more or less okay. That he isn't dead and now a turned walker._

"Is that Daryl?" Glenn asked, unsure of what we were to do and what exactly was before us.

"Y-yes," I tell them as I looked directly into the eyes of the man stood in front of me. He was pacing around, a necklace of..._ears?_ Were around his neck. He looked like he had been through hell and back. His crossbow dragged along the floor as he looked to us, to dad angered.

"That's the third time you've pointed that thing at my head. You gonna pull the trigger or what?" Daryl growled as he asked my dad, who had now lowered the gun and made all the others relieved. _Fuck. He's hurt...really bad then considering the state he's in. God damn. _

There was a sudden gunshot and Daryl fell to the floor on his back. Gasping, I felt the air leave my lungs and turned around to Andrea who must have shot. "No! No!" I screamed as I dropped to my knees on the second 'no' to check and see if Daryl was alive.

"No!" dad screamed to Andrea as he dropped down on the other side of Daryl. Checking Daryl's pulse, breathing and his head, I saw he was only mildly scratched from the bullet that had been fired. Relaxing, I quickly got to my feet and pulled him up. Dad took the other arm of Daryl's draping his arms over our shoulders and carried him towards the farm.

"Rick! Kat!" I could hear mom's voice calling for us in the distance.

"What on earth's going on out here?" I heard Hershel call to us from the farm, he was stood beside mom and we kept walking with Daryl in our arms.

"I was kidding," Daryl mumbled, surprised he had actually been shot and his mind was probably spinning from the feeling. _Or so I've been told from what I've read since dad got shot. _

"Come on," dad encouraged as we kept walking, this was when I saw Andrea and Dale bolt across the field to us.

"Oh my God. Oh my God, is he dead?" Andrea asked me, panick stricken and stopped in front of us. We kept walking, my grip on Daryl tight and I glared at Andrea.

"Unconscious. You just grazed him. I told you not to shoot Andrea...yet you disobeyed me...disobeyed us," I growled at her, unhappy that she would do that and put all of us in danger. _She almost killed Daryl for Christ's sake!_

"But look at him. What the hell happened? He's wearing ears!" Glenn told us shocked and horrified by the fact Daryl had these around his neck. Daryl's head swung down as we dragged him back to the farmhouse.

"Let's keep that to ourselves," dad informed Glenn as he ripped the necklace off and slipped it into his shirt pocket. We continued to walk with a dazed Daryl being dragged, a hyperventilating Andrea from the close call she gave Daryl and Shane limping back the way we came.

"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?" I heard T-Dog call out to us, while we all turned to look at him and were surprised to see Sophia's doll in his hands. _Daryl...found Sophia's doll. Thank God. He found evidence and he's still alive. I just wish he was perfectly fine._

* * *

><p>We had been waiting for a good long while, I was pacing and mom was sat on the floor. "He'll be all right," dad said as he exited the room, Shane followed after him and mom got to her feet. He gave me a kiss on the forehead and mom a quick hug.<p>

"I hate to say it, but I'm with Hershel on this one. Can't keep going out there, not after this," Shane told us as I looked to mom, who gave me a sad smile and rubbed my back comfortingly. _There's something they're not telling me. _

"You'd quit now? Daryl just risked his life to bring back the first hard evidence we've had," dad told Shane. He was about to leave when Shane had first spoke but ended up turning around to tell Shane this information.

"That is one way to look at it. The way I see it, Daryl almost died today for a doll," Shane said as I glared at him. _Is he really telling us that he doesn't believe Sophia is out there, alive and well?! Are you fucking kidding me? He wants us to quit now?! What an asshole._

"Yeah, I know how you see it," dad said as he turned to walk off, the map in his hand and mom just pats his stomach. I waited for Hershel to exit and knocked on the door. Shane gave me a look but then placed his hand gently on the small of my back.

"Don't touch me Shane. You're not my father so don't act like you are," I growled at him. Shane quickly moved his hand away from my back and rubbed his head. Shane mumbling a soft sorry.

"I'm not out to be a hard case. Just being realistic," Shane said as he looked to me and mom. Mom shook her head and looked to the ground, making a laughing noise through her nose.

"Go away," I heard Daryl growl from the other side of the door to my knock. I frowned and tried again. Sighing as I stepped closer to the door.

"Daryl...it's me," I told him and this made him shuffle in the bed a little from what I could hear in through the other side of the door.

"Come in," Daryl told me which made me slowly open the door and step inside slowly, shutting the door slowly. Daryl had a head bandage around his crown and the covers were pulled up to hide his shirtless body. _Could he be shy about his wounds? Or about his body like girls are?_

"Oh my god...Daryl...I'm...I'm so sorry. I should have been there with you, that way you wouldn't have well...been alone through that all," I tell him sadly as I examined his body. My eyes wandering at him laying there in the bed, injured and a slight mess.

"Its better this way. That way all I had to look out for was myself," Daryl growled out at me. "Wouldn't be the first time," he mumbled to himself but I caught it. _I won't question him, his issues is his issues._ "That way I wouldn't have to worry 'bout saving your ass too," Daryl growled as he looked up at me. "Especially if I got back here without you...your dad would have my head on a silver plate and...it ain't your fault," he told me with kind eyes.

_Why...is he so sweet and kind towards me? Towards some of us in this group? He's sort of like this with Carol. He saved T-Dog when he didn't have to and...he's out looking for Sophia when others believe she's dead._

"It was very...brave what you did today and well...I'm glad you're still alive. I would have felt terrible thinking that you were dead because of me. It's already terrible enough that I feel guilty for Sophia getting...never mind," I say and shake my head at my thoughts, trying to remove them with the movement of my head and looked down at him. His crystal eyes looking up at me and making me feel this...tingling sensation.

"Kat...what do you mean about Sophia?" Daryl asked me, his brows furrowed in thought and his eyes staring up at me. _He needs to stop looking up at me like that. Like he really cares about what I think or how I feel. He's so...sweet and I respect him for that. As for those eyes...they need to stop looking like that because...I fear I might get a small shortage of breath._

"I...I don't want to talk about that but...I'm sorry you went through what you did," I tell him and looked away from his gaze. His eyes looked away and to the side. He pulled the covers up and turned his back on me. Sighing, I opened the door and left the room, shutting the door behind me and left the house.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

I had talked to Rick and Shane while Hershel fixed me up. "Go away," I growled when I heard my door being knocked. I could hear shuffling from the other side of the door.

"Daryl...it's me," a soft and sweet voice called to me. I recognized it instantly. _Kat..._quickly I pulled my covers over my chest and carefully laid onto my back, as so she couldn't see my scars. When I looked to the door, I took a deep breath and waited for a few seconds. Getting comfortable and making sure I didn't feel as much pain as I expected.

"Come in," I told her as I got comfortable and waited for her to enter. The door slowly opened, the squeaking of the door made me shut my eyes a little and gradually she stepped in. Her eyes roamed over my state as she shut the door behind her.

"Oh my god...Daryl...I'm...I'm so sorry. I should have been there with you, that way you wouldn't have well...been alone through that all," she spoke. Her eyes wandering around my body and examining the damage I had taken. _Oh God...she probably thinks I look revolting...Merle was right. She wouldn't want me within miles of her._

"Its better this way. That way all I had to look out for was myself," I growled at her, more angry with myself than her. "Wouldn't be the first time," I mumbled to myself. "That way I wouldn't have to worry 'bout saving your ass too," I growled again at the thought of my past, my eyes looking up at her. "Especially if I got back here without you...your dad would have my head on a silver plate and...it ain't your fault," I told her.

_She's not supermodel gorgeous but...she's prettier than your average girl. Rick doesn't like me here, no one does and everyone would prefer me dead. Even Kat. _Kat's long brown curls were messy, in her pony tail and tumbling down her back. Her eyes were sad, her bright blues seemed to be hiding something and I didn't know if I wanted to ask her.

"It was very...brave what you did today and well...I'm glad you're still alive. I would have felt terrible thinking that you were dead because of me. It's already terrible enough that I feel guilty for Sophia getting...never mind," she said and shook her head and looked down at me. Her words left me wondering.

"Kat...what do you mean about Sophia?" I asked her gently, my brows knitting together in thought and I stared up at her questioningly. _What about Sophia is bothering her so much? Why does she seem so...worried about me? Is this all an act to make a joke out of me?_

"I...I don't want to talk about that but...I'm sorry you went through what you did," she told me and looked away from me. Slightly angered, I looked anywhere but at her. Pulling up the covers up and turning my back to her. Sighing, she opened the door and left the room, shutting the door behind her and left me alone. _All these secrets and lies. Just plain stupid._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Dinner was ready and we were all sitting around the table, Carol went to stand up to call mom to eat, I sat her back down and told her I would go. When I went to tell mom dinner was ready, I could hear soft crying, pressing my ear to the door and listening to my mom's voice. "Baby boy, what do I do?" I heard her whisper to Carl.

Deciding I wouldn't wait any longer, I knocked on the door and opened it, stepping inside mom tried to gather her thoughts. "Dinner's ready. You coming?" I asked her kindly which made her give me a tear-stained smile at me. _Why is she crying? What is she keeping from me?_

"Mm-hmm," she said as she got herself ready to leave, to eat. Carl was fast asleep beside her and she seemed so...lost.

"You need anything?" I asked her and I looked at her confused. She shook her head and gave me a small smile.

"Huh-uh, I'll be right there," mom said as she tried to make me leave. Instead I closed the door behind me and stepped further inside.

"Mom...you can't lie to me. No one can but...you know you can talk to me, right?" I asked her, keeping my eyes on hers and walked closer to her. She gave me a nod and a small smile. Her hands stretched out to rest on my shoulders as she stood to her two feet.

"I know and I'm grateful. Thank you baby girl...same thing goes to you. You can talk to me about anything," mom said with her warm and soft smile. The same smile she would always give me to tell me she was fine. "Come on. Let's eat," she said and turned me to walk to the door. Both of us headed down to eat and sat at the table, eating our meals silently.

"Does anybody know how to play guitar? Dale found a cool one. Somebody's got to know how to play," Glenn asked us as he turned to look to the 'adults' seeing as those of us who were younger than the others sat on a smaller and more rounded table. I was sat beside Maggie and Jimmy.

"Otis did," Patricia said sadly, her eyes on the meal and shyly looked up at those on the table. _I really wish I was sat beside my parents...might of just taken my food and left to sit beside Carl as I ate. If I did that...it would be considered rude and I am not rude. _

"Yes, and he was very good too," Hershel spoke which made me think about the times I played guitar. _Mom used to love me playing guitar...and singing songs for her. Carl always loved me performing things for him and dad would ask me on occasion to sing something and play the guitar._

"Kat can play guitar too. She used to play for me when she was younger, she continued it and well...how long has it been?" dad asked me as he turned in his seat a little to look at me. A smile playing on his lips.

"A long time, not since you got shot at least," I tell him and looked to mom who smiled at me sadly, her eyes looking down then back to me. _She's probably remembering the songs I played at those last few times. When dad was shot...I didn't want to play any songs anymore and I just felt...dull. _

"Maybe you should play again one day," mom suggests sweetly and I give a small nod as I took a bite of the meat. _We've all suffered from dad's apparent death...but he's alive and well. He's strong. I can see it._

"I know I wouldn't mind hearing," Glenn said to me with a small smile, I just shyly looked away and continued eating, hearing my dad's chuckles as I looked to him and saw Shane give me a small smile. Maggie and Glenn were soon passing notes around, blatant and making everyone look, listen and watch this interaction.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"How are you feeling?" Carol asked as she walked in with a tray of food and drink in her hands. Pulling up the covers, I laid on my side and cuddled the pillow. _Too many hours of sleep and nothing to do makes me bored as fuck._

"As good as I look," I answered, my voice rough from sleep and quieter from the sleep. Laying there, my mind wandering to my conversation with Kat for a second as it got silent behind me.

"I brought you some dinner," Carol said which made me quickly turn to look at her and move my body to look at the food that was on the plate. My interest and attention was on her now, she looked down at me shyly. "You must be starving," Carol said kindly. _She's like...the mother I never had. Or can't seem to remember in this way at least. _

"Watch out, I got stitches," I grumbled after Carol leaned over and gently pressed a kiss to my temple. Fiddling with the sheet as I didn't want to look at her and then glanced up at her to see her look at me with kind eyes.

"You need to know something," she said which made me look at her for a few seconds as she continued to speak. "You did more for my little girl today than her own daddy ever did in his whole life," she told me which made me turn my back on her again.

"I didn't do anything Rick, Kat or Shane wouldn't have done," I answer her grumpy. _It's true. I'm only doing what others do and...it ain't anything special._

"I know. You're every bit as good as them," Carol told me, her voice soft and kind. "Every bit," she repeated and left me alone. My thoughts on the little girl that was lost in the woods, her kind mother and the blue-eyed brunette that had a lot of things going on that she didn't seem to talk about...

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><p><strong>Here's the deal guys...I want to keep posting chapters but I need teamwork. There are at least...28 followers for this story and maybe more. So...let me receive one review from each of you for this chapter. Send me some love and I will be very thankful. <strong>

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	11. Chapter 11: Honesty

Chapter 11: Honesty

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~5 years ago~_

_I was sat down on the porch outside, mom and dad were talking about something. Not something...about me deciding to go to the training sessions on how to shoot and mom wasn't liking it. When I was looking up at the sky, I heard the conversation finish, footsteps came towards me and stopped when I saw feet beside me._

_Dad sat down and looked at the streets with me. "So...mom took it well?" I ask him and he just licked his lips, looking to the distance and then to me._

_"As well as she could..." he tells me which makes me pull a face of uncertainty and slightly playful in its nature. Dad looked to me and chuckled to himself, shaking his head and looking to the sky._

_"Your mom wants you to know that...even though you're going to be trained by Shane and I...she wanted you not to," dad said which made me look at him quickly, shocked and stunned by his words. "I talked to her..." dad said as he raised an eyebrow, amused by my expression and a small smile playing on his lips._

_"Don't worry...she respects your decisions and doesn't hate you for wanting to do this. She wishes differently but...she accepts your desires and wants you to know we both support you," he tells me and this makes me smile at him. "Just remember..." he went to speak but I just roll my eyes._

_"A gun is not a toy," I repeated his words that he would tell me since I was a little girl. He chuckled and said a quick 'that's my girl' and kissed the top of my head. The two of us sat there and taking in the view. Children playing, sun on our skin and the smell of moms cooking in the oven..._

* * *

><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

"Don't look so worried," Carl said as we were all feeding the hens. _It's so good to see Carl up on his feet again._

"It's my job," mom said slightly sad and I smiled kindly at them both. _Mom always worries...it doesn't matter what it is...she'll worry._

"No, it's not. You're a housewife," Carl said as though he was stating a fact, this made me stifle a giggle and look at mom. She had her jaw hanging opened and her eyes wide. Carl looked up at her and smirked, a cheeky little smirk that made me laugh.

"Yeah, punks?" mom said as she threw us corn and this made us both laugh at her. "You see my house around here? A housewife," mom said shaking her head surprised Carl would even say that and me for encouraging him to keep going with the joke by laughing.

"They don't have a mother," Carl said as he examined the chickens, smiling I looked down and helped feed them with him. Mom was doing things to get the corn ready for the chickens to eat.

"She might be somewhere else," I suggest and this made Carl look up at me, shaking his head and giving me a look of uncertainty and full of doubt.

"Maybe she got eaten. Everything is food for something else," Carl suggested and stated. _Sadly...this is the way of life. It always has been...always will be. Mom shouldn't be looking all surprised when it's the solid truth, it doesn't indicate anything about us being food to the dead._

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

I was laid out on my bed, almost fully recovered and ready to continue the search for Sophia. Poking holes with the tip of one of my bolts into the small plastic window I had and looked at it absent-mindedly. Next thing I knew Andrea walked in slowly to sit beside me. "Hey. This is not that great, but..." she said as she handed me a book.

"What, no pictures?" I asked her flicking through, an eyebrow raised and my mind wandering to look at her face. _Why is she here...also...what? A book's meant to have pictures? Last time I checked they were all words...so...this is your standard book to read._

"I'm so sorry. I feel like shit," Andra apologised to me as she shook her head and looked at me with a sorry expression in her eyes.

"Yeah, you and me both," I tell her, getting comfortable to sit up and to look towards her. My eyes drifting down to my torso to watch out for the stitches in my side. Andrea's eyes watching me as I moved to prop myself up and look at her better.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, but if there's anything I can do-" she tried to offer but I just look at her, our eyes meeting and all I could feel was...nothing. _Why is it every pair of blue eyes don't work for me like Kat's does...not to mention her father and brothers...but...Kats...it has a twinkle in them that others don't._

"You were trying to protect the group. We're good..." I forgave her in my own way, twirling the bolt in my hands and watching her. Not being blunt about it but enough to reassure her that we were fine. _She was doing the right thing but...she should have listened to Kat and the others._ "But hey, shoot me again...and you'd best pray I'm dead," I told her threateningly as she stood up and walked to the door. She turned to look at me, giving me a shy smile and left me alone in my tent.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Mom was fixing things by a tree, watching us and this was while, me, dad, Shane and Jimmy were looking down at the map. Glenn was chatting with mom about something in the distance. "The creek flows south, past that farmhouse Daryl found. Maybe Sophia dropped the doll there, the current brought it downstream," dad explained as he pointed the spots with his fingers on the map without touching it.

"So what, you think she took this road here and then she went north?" I asked him, taking in what he was saying and looking towards the two men that were stood beside me.

"Yeah. What's up that way?" dad asked as he turned to look at Jimmy. The farmer boy was staring down at the map, remembering how everything was laid out and looking up at dad to answer him.

"A housing development. It went in maybe 10 years ago," Jimmy informed us as he stared down at the map.

"Take a run up there after gun practice. I'll hold down the fort here, but take backup. After what went down with Daryl, I don't want anyone going out alone. We stay in pairs," dad said which made me look at him a little shocked.

"I'll take suggestions on a partner," Shane said, averting his eyes from me and to look at my dad. _Excuse me?! _

"I can go. I'm a good shot, I can get in and out of places quickly and...well...I can handle myself," I argue to them, trying to put a point across but dad just looked at me. Ignoring my comment and continued to have his conversation with Shane.

"See how they do on the range, then take your pick," dad tells Shane. This was when Glenn walked up to us, holding a basket out for us and we looked down to see fresh peaches. Taking one out, we all munched on it and sipped on the juice that would flow out. _Mmmm. Delicious._

"Thanks Glenn," I tell him kindly as he gave me a quick nod, his face pale and blank, while looking at us, dad in particular and then to mom who stood there with a stick in her hand.

"My binoculars," Shane prompted the boy as he looked at us numbly, he then realized what Shane said and quickly gave Shane the binoculars.

"Yeah yeah. Okay, bye," Glenn said as he handed the binoculars, his eyes darting to me and dad, then briefly to Shane before he scurried off towards the rest of the camp members.

"We'd like to join you for gun training today," the young daughter of Hershel spoke. _Beth...that's her name._ Her and Patricia stopping beside dad to look at us.

"Hershel's been very clear. I can't involve any of you in what we do without his okay," dad informed them as they walked closer to us, stopping and dad turned to look at them. Munching on his peach as we all chewed and swallowed our fruit.

"He doesn't like it, but he consented," Beth told us which didn't seem to convince dad much. _Him and Hershel have had trouble. Jimmy wasn't meant to help yesterday and well...dad believed what he said even if he wasn't lying._

"Otis was the only one who knew guns. Now that he's gone, we gotta learn to protect ourselves," Patricia said to us, solemn and dull as she spoke. _Her heart breaks every time she mentions his name. She must have been very close to Otis that way...it's sad._ "Her father saw the sense in that," she defended further but this just made him look away from them. Focused on not agreeing and failing Hershel like that again.

"No offense, but I'll ask Hershel myself," dad told them, just to make sure it wasn't some test and that they were telling the truth. _Seems like honesty is an issue with everyone lately. _

"What's going on?" I asked Carl as he got closer to me, he was wearing dad's hat and seemed to look slightly suspicious. _I know my brother well enough...I mean...I'm his best friend and he's mine._

"I want to learn to shoot too. Can you teach me?" Carl asked me, his eyes staring down at me as he stood before me. _Shoot? Is he sure he wants to?_

"Well, Carl...that's up to mom and dad, also...I had Shane as my instructor," I inform him, trying to tell him that I wasn't the right person to teach him and that I couldn't agree without our parents consent.

"Can you talk to them? They'll listen to you," Carl encouraged them. _Where could he possibly think that they would listen to me and not him? It's normal to want to learn to shoot in this new world._

"We'll see, okay?" I tried to reassure him, not indicating to him that I was going to ask our parents about it. "Hey," I called out to him as I heard an unfamiliar-familiar sound come from his back. "Let me see what you've got there," I say as I looked at him. This was when he slipped his hand behind his back and pulled out a gun.

Taking the gun off him, I slowly walked to mom and showed it to her. Telling her that Carl had it. "How the hell did this happen?" she asked as she took it from me, checking the amount of rounds and slipped it into her back pocket.

"Well, it's my fault. I let him into the RV. He said he wanted a walkie, that you sent him for one," Dale told us which made mom's eyes widen in rage and shock. _What is with all the lies?!_

"So on top of everything else, he lied. What's he thinking?" mom stated and asked, looking to a sullen Carl who was sat down and staring at the ground. Dad shrugged and had his hands on his hips. Looking at Carl I frowned, remembering that it was me in that position many years ago.

"He wants to learn how to shoot. He asked me to teach him. I told him I wasn't qualified, that...Shane was the one who taught me," I tell them as they looked at me, mom looked slightly sad and then back to angered.

"Now it's none of my business, but I'm happy to do it. It's your call," Shane suggested as he stood there, looking between me, mom and dad. His eyes searching for an answer.

"I'm not comfortable with it," mom said while laughing nervously, a shake to her head. "Oh, don't make me out to be the unreasonable one here," mom said as she realized no one was agreeing with her. "Rick?" she asked as she turned to look at him.

"I know. I have my concerns too, but-" dad began but was quickly cut off by mom, her eyes wide and her face saddened at the thought of Carl out here with a gun.

"There's no but. He was just shot. He's just back on his feet and he wants a gun?" mom asked stunned that Carl was even considering having guns after an accident like he just had. _Better to fight with it than fight against it and be frightened of it._

"Better than him being afraid of 'em. There are guns in camp for a reason. He should learn to handle them safely," dad suggested as he tried to reason with mom. The rest of us watching them intently, catching every word they said and my eyes glancing to look at Carl.

"I don't want my kid walking around with a gun," mom growled out to him and he just looked at her stunned. Unable to say what he wanted to.

"But how can you defend that? You can't let him go around without protection. I walk around with a gun...last time I remember...I'm a kid of yours," I told her and she just looked at me slightly...betrayed. Her eyes were filled with a burning fire within her and I could sense it was soon about to burst out.

"There's a difference. He's twelve. You're nineteen. He's as safe as he'll ever be right here," mom tells us as if Carl was going to be a child forever. "Look, everything you're both saying makes perfect sense. It feels wrong. I mean I didn't feel good about him following you out into the woods...and I wish I'd said something. I should've gone with my gut," mom said her eyes getting teary as she thought of what happened to Carl not so long ago.

"He's growing up, thank God. We've got to start treating him more like an adult," dad suggested, the sensation of this conversation making my spine shiver. _Is this how dad convinced mom? Or is this a stronger version of it to get mom to see clearly?_

"Then he needs to act like one. He's not mature enough to handle a gun. Not like Kat is or ever was," mom said as she looked directly into dads eyes, her face up close to his and I stood there, looking at Carl every so often.

"I'm not gonna play with it, mom. It's not a toy. I'm sorry I disappointed you, but I want to look for Sophia and I want to defend our camp. I can't do that without a gun," Carl said as he stepped up, finally he had enough of this talk and wanted to do something. _He wants his voice to be heard..._

"Shane's the best instructor I know. I've seen him teach kids younger than Carl," dad tried to convince mom further, her eyes had turned soft while hearing Carl's reasons as to why he lied. _He just wants to do the right thing._

"You will take this seriously and you will behave responsibly...and if I hear from anyone in this camp that you're not living up to our expectations-" mom said as he got closer to Carl, lifting his chin in her hands and making him look up at her.

"He won't let you down," I tell her as I stopped her in her sentence to look at Carl. His bright blues watching us as we spoke of him.

"Yeah," Carl agreed, giving me a slight small smile and the twinkle in his eye made me smile back at him. _He has potential of doing good. I know it._

"Now if you're gonna do this, you listen to Shane," dad told him as they made their way to the car, dad leading them to the car and we all decided to climb in.

"Okay, dad," Carl agreed and got into the car.

"All right? You be careful," dad told him as we all got in and drove off to the training area. Watching Carl shoot, praising him when he got a good shot and mom stared at him. I went to her, gently running my hand up and down her back comfortingly, her head resting against mine as we watched Carl learn to shoot.

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><p>"'Afternoon," mom said politely as we made our way to talk to Hershel, to thank him for saving Carl's life and to get away from the crowed who praised Carl for his training.<p>

"I take it your boy did well," Hershel observed as we looked out into the distance, they surrounded Carl as they spoke and Carl seemed so...happy. _For once he has a smile on his face after all that's happened._

"Not bad, actually," I agreed, watching Carl speak with such enthusiasm before looking to Hershel who was fixing up the fences.

"Be grateful you don't have daughters like mine. If only things were as simple as wanting to shoot," Hershel teased as he looked between mom and me. This statement made me giggle, shoving my hands into my back pocket as he spoke.

"Too right that is...Kat's not abnormal...she's...special. She loved doing things like that. Shooting and other 'masculine' things but...she has had her moments of being a 'normal' girl. Ain't that right Kat?" mom said with a smile playing on her lips, teasing me in this way and making me giggle at her.

"Carl's getting that chance, thanks to you...and we're eternally grateful for what you did and your hospitality. We'll earn our keep," I tell Hershel, thankful for what he did and showing gratitude by doing what we can to keep us safe and make him trust us.

"I appreciate that, but with Carl getting better, I imagine you'll be moving on soon Fort Benning, I hear," Hershel told us which made us look to one another, the same expression on our faces. One of pure shock and horror. _He wants us to leave._

"Hershel expects us to leave? Does anybody else know?" mom asked quietly, discreetly as we walked towards dad, my heart pounding at the realization of having to leave the farm and go back on the run.

"Not yet," dad speaks lowly, as to not be heard, looking up and checking for anyone listening and seeing everyone was too busy doing things to notice us all huddled around together.

"Were you gonna tell us?!" I asked him a little angered that he had barely spoken to us. _Why would he keep something like this from us?!_

"Of course," dad told us, giving me a look telling me to keep my voice down and I just glare at him. _I'm unhappy. Deal with it dad._

"When? How long have you known?" mom asked him calmly, trying to keep her voice level and not to attract unwanted attention.

"Not long. You both don't need to worry about this," he tried to reassure us and I just glared at him. _We're safe here. Of course we're going to worry about going back out there into the world of destruction._

"How can you expect us not to worry? We have shelter here, food, water and medical care," I tell him angered that he would think we would just let this pass us by as though nothing was going on.

"I've been talking with Hershel. It's not carved in stone," dad told me, his voice angered as he gritted his teeth at me. _Good...get angry with me. All these lies...all these...issues that pop up and have no way of dealing with them properly. So many secrets..._

"He thinks it is," I growled at him, gripping onto my hair and trying not to pull them out.

"We have to fix this. People are settling in here. They'll be devastated," mom said calmly, her voice level and he expression saddened. _It's true, we finally feel safe here and...having to leave will kill them...will kill us all._

"I know. I'm working on it," dad tells us as he looked between the two of us.

"Maybe I can talk to him too and plead our case," mom tried to come up with an idea on convincing him to let us stay.

"No, things are uneasy. The best thing right now is to give Hershel some space. Don't look at me like that," dad suggested as his eyes drifted around and then to the house. His eyes landing on the two of us beside him.

"Like what?" mom asked him as she looked at him wide-eyed. Panick was evident in her facial expression.

"Like you're scared. Like you don't trust me. I can take it from everyone else, but not from you two," he tells us as he went to reach out for our faces, gently touching them and I shook my face out of his touch.

"I don't understand how you could keep something like this from us. Carl's barely on his feet, Sophia's missing...Daryl and T-Dog are hurt. How can we leave?" I asked him, my voice filled with venom, hurt and anger. _We're a family. We're meant to talk things through, to figure out ways of surviving in this world. Not wait for hell to break loose._

"It's not what I want either, but if we have to go, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure the both of you and Carl are okay. We'll get by. We will," dad encouraged which made mom look directly in his eyes, her expression calmer than before and softer.

"Okay," mom said which made me just shake my head and make a sound of slight disgust mixed with anger. Walking off, I head to my tent that I was now sharing with Carl again and saw him stood by the tent. He was watching me walk to him, I stopped in front of him and glanced down at him.

"Carl...I need to leave, to go find Sophia and bring her back," I tell him as I crouched down and held his hands in mine. His bright blues staring up at me and were filled with curiosity and wonder.

"Wait...who's going with you?" he asks me and I just sigh, shaking my head as I looked down. He gripped onto my hands and made me look up at him.

"Dad said not to go alone, especially not after what happened to Daryl. Kat...I don't have a good feeling about you going out there alone," he tells me worried and his eyes wide.

"I'll be fine brother. A few walkers will never stop me from getting back to you. No one can stop me from getting back to you," I tell him and I pressed a kiss to his cheek, standing up straight I let go of his hands slowly. Turning my back I walked back to the tent and started putting on my weapons. Heading to the RV, I went to grab my gun and saw dad walk towards me quickly.

"You planning on going out there alone? Specifically when I say everyone has to go in pairs?" dad asked me slightly angered and I walked past him. He went to grab my arm and I pulled it out forcefully from his hands. "Are you crazy?!" dad questioned me and my motives.

"No. I'm completely sane. I'm not going to just...wait around sitting on my ass for some..._walker_ find Sophia before I do," I growled and kept walking to the RV. Grabbing my gun, I checked the clip and fixed my gun in place.

"You can't be serious?! Daryl almost _died _out there looking for her!" dad tried to convince me it was a bad idea and I just walked out the RV, dad following me the entire way, his eyes searching for mine as he got up close to me. "Hold up Kat. You-" he started but I cut him off, he went to grab me to stop me in my tracks but I just quickly turn to look at him and pulled my arm out of his grasp.

"No dad! You don't get it do you?! I could have _saved_ her out there. Instead I did _nothing_. I just laid there and let her get followed. Let her get lost. I need to fix what I didn't do by doing the right thing. As for going out there alone...I have had to kill walkers I once considered people, with Shane and on my own," I tell him, being vague as to what I had to do and still do sometimes.

"I would be the one protecting our family, I was out there hunting and keeping them fed. I have looked after our family...our group since the beginning of all this. I can fend for myself and I am not a little girl anymore dad. I've done it before you were here...I can still look after myself," I tell him. His eyes sad and he gave me a slow nod. His eyes looking down and sad...but...understanding.

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><p>Heading out, I walked past the fields and into the woods, making my way through it and killing two walkers in what felt like...<em>2 hours?<em> Wandering in the woods, I reached where Daryl was and saw the two earless walkers laid out on the ground. Reaching around the sides, I kept walking aimlessly and kept my memory of which way to get back to the farm.

When I heard the footsteps and the sounds of someone complaining about something. I ducked down into the bushes, staying silent and pulling out my bow and an arrow from my quiver. Looking through the bushes, I kept quiet as I watched the man bend down to look down at what looked like a snare trap.

Suddenly, I heard rustling coming from over my shoulders and saw a hand grab me, lifting me up off the floor as an arm wrapped tightly around me. Dragging my to my feet and off the ground, kicking and squirming as I felt something cold press up to the temple of my head. Looking at it from the corner of my eyes, I saw it was a pistol.

"Guess what R. We got us a pretty catch right here. Don't need no snare for this one. Ain't that right sugar lumps?" the rough and sultry disgusting voice asked me and I heard a long inhale against my ear and hair. Shivering, I wriggled and struggled out of their grip.

"You do like you're tail Jake!" the other one said as he looked at me. He had black hair, brown eyes and pale skin. There was this...dot..._is that a tattoo?_ He stood closer to me and I saw how skinny the guy was and slightly tall. He looked no older than me and I was suddenly thrown on the floor. Going to get up, I saw my bow and quiver fell onto the ground beside me.

Going to grab it the thin black-haired boy grabbed them and slipped them onto his back. Getting onto my knees, I was suddenly pushed onto my back and was looking up at a guy who had dirty blonde hair, green eyes and he was slightly muscular. He shoved my hands over my head and pinned me to the ground.

"R! Keep her still!" the guy said and then chuckled down at me, a smirk playing on his lips as the one who now had my bow and quiver dropped to his knees and held my arms down. Squirming and wriggling under the guy, I looked down and panted. The sound of a zipper made my eyes widen and the sweat heat up my body. My heart pounding in my chest.

"No!" I screamed and suddenly the guy on top of me started to chuckle and examining me. His face hovering above me, checking every inch of my face and touching me in ways that made me feel sick. _I'm going to cut those fucking hands off him when I can. He'll fucking regret it. _

"You surely are a beautiful one...I bet...you taste beautiful too," the guy on top of me said I struggled to get out of their holds. When the guy smirked down at me, he lowered his head and gave my neck sloppy, gross kisses and this was my only chance. Feeling his hands slide between my legs, I squirmed and threw my head to one side then slammed my teeth into his ear.

Digging my teeth into his ear, I kept going until I felt my jaw clamp shut, hot liquid in my lips and the scream of his as I ripped his ear out. He fell off of me, rolling to one side and holding onto his now dripping with blood ear. My mouth had the rusty taste of blood sliding down my chin, spitting out his ear and coughing his blood a little. I saw the boy above me pinning me down, slide away from me and hit his back against a tree. His eyes were wide.

Crawling to my hands and knees to get up, I went to grab my knife and was soon pushed onto my front. My chest against the floor, the man's body was atop mine again and he growled into my ear. "A fighter...don't worry. I wouldn't mind going inside you from the back door," he whispered into my ear roughly. My body shivered in disgust as I had my hands trapped behind me, his scratchy hands gripped onto them tightly.

Gritting my teeth, I wriggled around and soon felt him trying to reach my front again. Gaining the strength, I rested my head to the floor and threw my head back, hitting his head to mine and he rolled around again. The boy was on his feet, unsure what to do as I was let go and reaching for the gun the guy had placed to my temple.

Crawling to it, my head spun and blood was all over me. "Go on! Shoot her with her fucking arrows!" the man screamed to the boy. The boy fumbled to get my arrows out, his hands wobbling and the man trying to get to his gun. Crawling as fast as I could, I grabbed the gun and cocked it. Aiming I pulled the trigger and saw the man fall to the ground dead.

_Shot in the head. End to you...asshole. _Getting to my feet, I saw the boy drop my weapons, including the bow and quiver filled with arrows. Panting, I aimed to shoot the boy but, I watched as he ran away and my head spun. Shutting my eyes, I sat there for a few minutes and regained my breath. My head no longer twirling and my mind clearer.

Picking up my weapons, I put them back in place and decided to head back to the camp. _Dad's going to have a field day when he sees me like this..._reaching the farm, I walked out of the woods and towards the tents. Dad saw me and ran to me. His eyes wide and searching me. When he stopped in front of me, his brows furrowed, taking in the sight of me and his eyes widening with each second passing.

"Whose blood is that? Were you bit? What the hell happened?!" dad asked me panicked. This was when Shane saw me and ran towards me. He looked angered and Carl was in the distance with mom, both of them watching me from the distance. Worry in all of their eyes.

"I handled it," I told them and kept walking towards the RV to put my gun inside. Dad followed me as did Shane and I just sighed. "I'm fine okay?! I didn't get bit. I just got...into a small fight. That's all," I tell them and they all look at me, Carl and mom were stood on their feet, looking at me and watching my every move.

"What the hell happened Kat?" Shane asked me and I just glared at them both. _I'm not a child. I didn't need them there and I don't need them right now. I want peace and quiet. _

"I'm just fine. All that happened was a pair of assholes were out there in the woods, hunting and they found me instead. They tried to rape me but...I handled it," I told them and walked into the RV, Shane went to say something and dad pressed his hand to Shane's chest. Shane shook his head, turned his back and walked off, rubbing his head repeatedly.

"Are they dead?" dad asked me as I saw Shane walk off into the distance. Slipping my gun into the bag, I stepped out and looked at dad who was curious as to what happened exactly. His blue eyes searching mine for honest answers.

"No. One of them yes...but the other escaped," I tell him and he nods. He stayed silent, his hands on his hips and his eyes glued on my face. Dad's eyes searching all the details of what happened, possibly trying to make up a story and finding a way of wording it so that I wasn't the one who had to explain fully what happened.

"Is that your blood?" dad asked me and I shook my head. Handing him the pistol I found, he looked down at it and then back up at me. Giving me a nod he leaned over, grabbed the back of my neck gently and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Go clean up...you look like a mess," he tells me slightly teasingly, his jaw hard and clenched. Agreeing with him, I nod up at him and entered the house to shower.

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><p><em><strong>Right...here's something you all need to know. This story isn't focused only on Kat and Daryl. They'll gradually get together but this is mostly around the relationships between Kat+Lori+Rick+Carl (Later Judith too) but...there are reasons I ask for reviews and its to see what you guys want. What you'd like to see. Some things can't be done. Kat and Daryl's relationship is going to be a slow burn, there won't always be interactions between them and it isn't all about them two being together.<strong>_

_**I'm trying to do this in justice for Norman's vision of how he sees Daryl react with a girl. He gradually gets to telling Kat he likes her. For Kat...right now family is the most important thing to her. I want a development for her character. There is going to be change when it comes to how seasons play out. Kat's character changes throughout the series. She's the 'loyal Grimes' to her family in season 1. Season 2 she's taking more of an independent, 'heroine' role...which you'll see what I mean later.**_

_**Season 3 she's...the 'survivor' role...which you'll see if you're patient enough. Season 4 she'll be the more...'leader' like figure and a very strong fighter. Season 5 she's more of her own person, her strength and faith are wary and all she knew will be deteriorating. She'll change through the seasons. So please...be patient for it all and don't be mad if there aren't lots of Daryl and Kat moments. **_

_**I don't see Kat and Daryl getting together so quickly, Norman says Daryl would be the awkward guy. Also...they wouldn't be interacting all the time as Kat has a family to look out for, a group to protect and people she loves to care for. As for reviews...I'm going to answer to most of you guys as a treat for the last chapter.**_

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><p><strong>Liaskane: Love your enthusiasm, yes...here you go. I hope it's enough to fulfil your hunger on this story right now. I have plenty more to come! Also...what do you expect? She's Rick's daughter...she's have to get his genes somewhere doesn't she?<strong>

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><p><strong>redangel2463: You give me a review every chapter and I'm thankful for it. You always tell me you love the interactions between Daryl and Kat and want more of that. I hope you understand what is happening to this story, that it needs to be realistic and true to Daryl's character. Much love to you!<strong>

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><p><strong>XXArmageddonXX: Thank you very much! Here you go dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>mrs. leonard mccoy: Waiting will get you to better things! Just need to be patient and slowly let the love grow between them and their trust.<strong>

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><p><strong>Pepperidge Farm: No. Not review hungry. I'm curious as to what you guys think. I'm working hard on trying to get these chapters out quickly for you guys. To make you want to keep reading and I want to see what you guys want, what you thinks so I know where to go on and how to keep this to your needs.<strong>

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><p><strong>AnikaHerondale: Guess what...just be patient. I'm setting up some plot twists, some slight changes and there are going to be chapters coming up that are my own ideas. Such as...before season 3. There will be two extra chapters that will lead up to the build up of season 3. So...be patient. Of course! She's Katherine Grimes. Why wouldn't she look up to her father?<strong>

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><p><strong>Purple Dragon Ranger: Just wait and see in the next few chapters. Who knows? She might tell him...maybe not? Who knows...oh yeah...me! ;) Glad you're liking it!<strong>

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Thank you for your review and future ones to come! Glad you enjoy the story so far, I understand that you want to see more Daryl and Kat but...hope you understand that there won't be scene after scene of them and that they won't fall in love straight away. It's a gradual, realistic process.<strong>

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><p><strong>Nymphaura: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're excited for more!<strong>

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><p><strong>Anyway...5 reviews please? Or as many as you'd like just...please feedback to me! <strong>

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	12. Chapter 12: Revealed

Chapter 12: Revealed

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

_~9 years ago~_

_I was sat on the couch, exhausted and tired from searching for a missing boy. Kat was upstairs doing her college work, Carl was over at a friend's house and Lori was at a meeting. Rubbing at my forehead, I heard footsteps come closer to me and looked up to see it was Kat. "Hey...what are you doing Kitten?" I ask her tiredly._

_"I just wanted to check on you...still worried about the missing boy case?" she asked me, her long brown curls and pale face looked at me. Her blue eyes were bright but sad, she held a thousand words in those eyes and I had no idea where she found such strength. _

_"Yeah," I answered her shortly. Unsure of how to respond and I just looked down at the files. She stood behind me leaning over the top of the couch and rubbed at my shoulders. This made me hum and shut my eyes. She always knew what to do to relax me._

_"Relax dad. I know you'll find him. You always do what's right and...I have faith in you," she told me which made me smile. With this conversation, I looked over my shoulder and at the same time she leaned down. Pressing a kiss to my cheek, she turned and left to go to the kitchen. Leaving me to my thoughts, a smile on my face and determination in my mind..._

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><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

"Hey. Where'd you go?" mom asked dad curiously as she leaned in to kiss his temple, pressing their foreheads together and mom gently stroking the hair at the back of his neck. We were all munching on eggs and some food that Hershel provided for us, all of us sat by the tents. Daryl was no longer locked in his tent, he was up and walking but he couldn't work his body too hard.

"I'm here," dad told her which made me smile at a chewing Carl beside me. Bumping my knees and side to his as he chuckled a mouthful chuckle and shoved me back playfully. Making me giggle, smiling down at him and munch on my food quietly.

"Um, guys," Glenn started as he made his way to us, looking awkward as he shoved his hands in his back pockets and looked around nervously. "So...the barn is full of walkers," he tells us which made us all freeze, unable to speak and move. _You...have...got...to...be...fucking...kidding...me._

"You cannot tell me you're all right with this," Shane growled at dad as he looked into the barn, we heard gurgling and clawing at the door. _Walker._ Shane walking towards us as he looked at us and walked past me and dad. I was stood beside Andrea, all of us staring at the barn doors.

"No I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land," dad tells him and I nod. _It's Hershel's home. We have no right to tell Hershel what to do but...we definately can't keep walkers in a barn like this. It doesn't look like it will hold any longer._

"God...this is our lives man!" Shane growled as he turned back around and looked at dad.

"Lower your voice," I scolded Shane, unhappy of his tone towards my father. _Dad is doing the right thing. We can't just barge in here and kill the walkers. It's too risky and...it's not our say._

"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea told us and I nod. _She had a point but...we can't just force the doors opened and do this without Hershel's consent._

"It ain't right. Not remotely," T-Dog said and I just walked closer to the barn, seeing all the walkers get riled and Daryl quickly pulled me back, dad gripping my arm and placing me to stand behind him.

"Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time," Shane encouraged which only made me frown and Carl looked at me sad too. _Its safer here than out there._

"We can't go," dad says firmly. _I already know he knows. He knows about mom being pregnant...about mom being with Shane...he knows all of it._

"Why, Rick? Why?" Shane questioned dad. Pacing around a little, angered that we weren't doing anything Shane agreed on.

"Because my daughter is still out there," Carol told him and Shane just began to laugh dryly, his hands in a praying sign against his lips.

"Okay. Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility-" Shane began but I wasn't going to hear anymore of it. _We are not giving up on Sophia. No way in hell._

"We're not leaving Sophia behind," I growled at Shane, angered that he would even suggest us leaving a little girl behind like that. _Sophia is still out there somewhere. I can feel it. I have to feel it._

"We're close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago," Daryl growled at Shane, angered as he stepped closer to Shane and this made Shane glare at Daryl.

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll," Shane declared, as though he was just stating a fact and that was it. As though it was meant to mean something.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," Daryl mumbled angered, squinting his eyes at Shane and the two of them glared at each other. They were getting closer to each other, my hand and dad's raising to keep them separated.

"I'm just saying what needs to be said. You get a good lead, it's in the first 48 hours-" Shane tried to explain but dad kept going up to him, raising his hand to touch him and calling to him.

"Let me tell you all something else, man. Kat almost got raped yesterday if it weren't for her skills at defending herself and pure luck...she would have been raped, man. Your own fucking daughter. We need to go," Shane said as he looked at me, I could feel multiple eyes look at me and I just kept a straight, strong face. _No one will ever see me afraid about some assholes I crossed paths with. _

"As for you man...if she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction!" Shane said to Daryl which suddenly started a heated argument between the two. They tried to get to each other's face.

Growling, shouting and while we had to try and pull them back. Away from each other, everyone screaming at the two of trying to push the two of them away as I tried to pull Daryl away from Shane and mom pulled Shane away from Daryl. "Back off!" dad shouted with a final shove, separating the two of them from each other.

"Keep your hands off me," Shane growled at mom as she pushed him away from dad and Daryl. _As if he says this now. He probably got mom pregnant in the first place for touching each other in ways I don't want to imagine! _

"Now just let me talk to Hershel. Let me figure it out," dad tried to reason calmly. Shane had his back turned to us, walking away and quickly turned back around.

"What are you gonna figure out?!" Shane screamed at dad, mom rushed in front of dad before Shane could get too close.

"Enough!" she shouted at him firmly, Carl came up beside me and held onto my hand tightly. Looking down at him, I moved him to stand in front of me and held him to me. My arms wrapping around him, holding him close and his hands rested on top of mine.

"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land," dad told him, stating what had to be done and I nod in agreement. _We have no say in this. This is all Hershel's land and we have to respect this if we want mom to give birth with the help of Hershel._

"Hershel sees those things in there as people...sick people. His wife, his stepson," Dale said, stepping up to look at dad and telling us all what Hershel thinks. _This can't be...wait..._

"You knew?" I asked him surprised, my eyebrows forming a crease on my forehead and looked at him. He gave me an apologetic look before he looked to dad and the rest of us.

"Yesterday I talked to Hershel," Dale told us which made us all silent for a second, unsure how to take in this information and looking at Dale stunned. _He kept this from us? From all of us? That he knew and that...Hershel believes they are normal human beings...just...sick?_

"And you waited the night?" Shane asked him angered that we were in the dark during all this time. That no one spoke to us about it until now.

"I thought we could survive one more night. We did. I was waiting till this morning to say something...but Glenn wanted to be the one," Dale said as we all turned to look at Glenn, who stood there and had his arms crossed over his chest.

"The man is crazy, Rick, if Hershel thinks those things are alive or no!" Shane began to argue to me and dad. His anger boiling and riling up the walkers. They thumped and shook the door, pushing Carl to stay behind me and backing up. Carl clinging onto me, holding onto my shirt as we slowly backed up and all of us stared at the barn doors...

* * *

><p>"Katherine...Rick. Daryl came up to me to ask to take the horse. Said something about looking for the little girl. Told him not to, that he had to heal and that he shouldn't go out there in his condition," Hershel told us as we all looked to the barn, seeing Daryl head into the stables and searching in the small shack they had filled with horse supplies.<p>

"If I can convince him not to go, could I take the horse myself and search for the girl? Please," I ask him, my eyes searching Hershel's light grayish blue ones. His eyes looked at me firmly, his lips made a line as they pursed and we stood there for a time.

"Go ahead, since you asked so politely. Maybe he'll listen to you," Hershel said with a small smile. Looking to me kindly and he then headed into the house, Carol and dad were behind me through the entire conversation I had with Hershel.

"Carol...could you give us a minute?" dad asked her politely as he took hold of my elbow in his hands. His grip tight but loose enough for me to slip my arm out of his touch. "What do you think you're doing?" he asks me as he pulls me away, spinning me to face him and I shoved my arm out of his hold.

"I'm going out there to look for Sophia. I'm not going to wait around dad. I told you once and I don't want to tell you again," I spoke to him, our eyes meeting up to each other and he stood there silent for a second, his jaw clenching in what looked like anger.

"After what you just went through yesterday?" he asked me a little surprised I would go back out there after what happened to me yesterday. _I'm not going to let a pair of assholes keep me down. No chance in hell._

"Dad...I can handle myself. Plus...I'll have a horse so I can just run away from jackasses like yesterday," I try to convince him, my eyes staring into his and non of us wavering our glance. The look in his eyes told me exactly what I needed to know. _I'm winning him over._

"I don't think you shou-" he tried to stop me one more time, his face hard and his expression was cold. _He's playing daddy cop and it ain't working._

"It's not your decision to make dad. I can defend myself. I don't need you or anyone for that matter. I'll be back before dinner. Promise," I said with a softer approach, my eyes shutting for a second and opened to look back up at him. My eyes pleading and hopefully sweet. _It's the look I always give him when I wanted something._

Dad takes a gulp, a slow nod of his head and stepped away from me. His eyes to the ground and silent as I looked to Carol. "Come on Carol let's go visit Daryl," I suggest to her as I turned and went towards the stables, both me and Carol jogging towards Daryl who was carrying a saddle.

"You can't," Carol said as we walked in and saw Daryl bent over, panting as he tried not to focus on the pain he had from throwing the saddle on the perch. _He's going to open those fucking stitches of his._

"I'm fine," Daryl growled and looked at us when he noticed the two of us here. Getting closer to him, he turned his back and walked towards the horse. He opened the stable door for it and stepped inside to check the horse. _Nervous Nelly..._

"Hershel said you need to heal," I remind him and he just gave me a glare from the corner of his eyes. His jaw stone and his glaze glassy. _He's not in the right mind state._

"Yeah, I don't care," Daryl growled as he reached for something that I showed him a few days ago about and turned his back on us. His muscles tense as he walked, his walk weird and his tone cold.

"Well, we do," I told him, keeping my voice soft and sincere. He paused for a second and then turned to look at me.

"Rick's going out later to follow the trail," Carol explained to him, trying to convince him that my dad was dealing with looking for Sophia.

"Yeah well, I ain't gonna sit around and do nothing," Daryl growled and turned back to look at the horse again. His back to us, his face not looking to us and his hair messy.

"No, you're gonna go out there and get yourself hurt even worse," I spat at him, unhappy that he would be so stupid as to go out there and not be patient enough to heal.

"Says the one who almost got raped out there!" Daryl shouted at me, they vein in his neck popping out a little from the anger he was bottling up in him. My expression never-changing and I just looked at him with a solid expression.

"We don't know if we're gonna find her, Daryl. We don't," Carol said which made me look at her stunned, judging by how she wouldn't look at us she meant what she was saying. Daryl looked at her stunned too. "I don't," Carol whispered, more to herself than to us.

"What?" I asked her, unsure of what she wanted to say and why she was saying it. Daryl got closer to her, wanting to know what Carol was talking about while I stood there.

"Can't lose you too. Either of you..." she said as she looked between both me and Daryl. _She...she'd give up? On...her daughter? Is this about what Shane said?_

Daryl got angry and threw the saddle across the room. His side gave him pain and he doubled over in pain, gripping onto his side. "Are you all right?" I asked him as I ran to him, placing one hand on his chest and another on his back gently. Next thing I knew he moved to leave, shoving me away from him forcefully and I frown.

"Just leave me be. Stupid bitches," Daryl grumbled as he walked off, leaving me and Carol there. Watching him leave, when I saw he had left and knew he wasn't coming back, I went to the saddle and picked it up.

"Take care out there...please. I...thank you for all you've been doing for me...for my little girl. You got attacked yesterday and...I feel to blame for that," Carol said sadly as I fixed the horse and fed it a carrot I had found outside. Petting it, I gave it a few minutes to get used to me and got up onto it.

"You weren't Carol. I promise. I just got...like you said. Attacked. But I survived. You know what was going on in my mind during that time?" I asked her as I slowly led the horse out and into the sunlight. My eyes staring into the distance at Carl, mom and dad who were all stood watching me.

"What?" Carol asked as she looked to me back to my family. Her blue eyes looking up at me and pale face tear-stained. _She needs to know...she needs to have that hope for her daughter restored._

"All I could think about was what would happen after they would rape me. Would they kill me? Would they leave me there to die? Would they take me captive?" I asked myself out loud, Carol's face sad and she shut her eyes momentarily in pain.

"All I could think of after that was...I would be willing to do everything and anything to survive. To get back to my brother. To my family...just like I'm going to do everything and anything I can to bring back your little girl," I told her as I looked down at her and saw her open her eyes to look up at me. A small smile appearing on her face.

"Be careful Kat. Please. Good luck and stay as safe as possible," she encourages me and I nod, I kept moving the horse and stopped by the gate, watching Carol help open the gate for me.

"Keep the others company and don't let anyone do anything stupid while I'm gone," I ordered her kindly, as to keep her busy and to not worry about her daughter. To worry about the others and to wait patiently. When I finally led the horse out, I pulled on the reins and encouraged the horse to go into the woods. Back on the look out for Sophia.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Also shows she could be moving this way south. If Sophia kept in that direction, she might have gotten out of the forest and into the farmland. So we take 74 up to Ivy Road, then push down south on foot through the forest till we hit Christopher, go east a couple of miles and then double back," I say as I looked down at the map, pointing at where me and Andrea would go.

"Rick," Hershel's voice called out to me and I turned around to look at him. Hershel was rolling his sleeves up, preparing for business and I was slightly worried he was going to kill us. Or at least tell us to get off his land...

"Hershel. We just have our guns out because we're gonna go look for Sophia," I tell him, trying not to look slightly worried or phased and he just nods. Looking between me and Andrea as he finished rolling up his sleeves.

"Before you do that, I could use your help with something," he suggests before I could even answer. My mouth opening as to speak and quickly shutting when I heard Andrea speak from behind me.

"Count me in," she agreed, willing to do anything if it meant a little action was going to be thrown in her life. _Just like Kat...but...Kat was worse. She's almost been raped, I'm tempted to track down those assholes and kill every last one of them._

"Thank you, but I just need Rick," Hershel told her which made he slightly stunned. Andrea's eyes slightly wide and quickly she brushed off her rejection. _Hurts to be rejected...even worse when it's your family and especially your daughter rejecting you. Repelling from you._

"I'll be down at the barn keeping watch until you're ready," Andrea told me which made me nod. I looked at her to see her slip her gun in her back pocket and moved away from us. Hershel leading me out into the woods with Jimmy and sticks in their hands.

* * *

><p><strong>CPOV<strong>

"Hey, Shane. Can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked Shane as he walked closer. He was in a rush, trying to get to wherever he was going and with a serious expression plastered onto his face. He had been talking to mom and Kat had been away for a while on the search for Sophia.

"You okay?" Shane asked me as he stopped, pulling off his hat and looking down at me concerned. _I'd be more concerned about what him and mom were talking about, the walkers in the barn and about Kat being out there alone._

"Yeah. I know you think Sophia's dead and that we should stop looking for her...but that's _bullshit_," I tell him, not used to swearing at him and feeling a little like Kat when she would say that. _She always drags the words out a little._

"Hey, man, watch your mouth," Shane growled at me when he caught me swearing at him. _Well...it is bullshit. I'm not leaving without Sophia or Kat._

"We're gonna stay here until we find her," I told him, agreeing to my decision and sticking to it. _It's what's right. I know Kat and dad would do what's right. Looking for Sophia is right and we won't stop until we find her._

"You think that's what we should do?" Shane asked me curious, an eyebrow raised and his brow was sweaty. _He must be thinking really hard or it's the Georgia heat...could be both._

"It's what I know we should do," I told him, feeling firm about my decision. _Sophia is a part of this group and I have faith that we'll find her. One way or another. Kat hasn't given up hope and neither will I._

"Then we stay. That means we got to do whatever we got to do to make that happen," Shane said as he looked down at me, nodding in agreement and never looking away from me. "Hmm?" he hummed and this made me look at him slightly confused.

"Like help out with chores?" I asked him, my voice slightly quiet and trying not to show him I was a little confused. When he looked at me, he gave me a nod and a small hum of approval.

"Mmm. Like help out with the chores," he agreed. His eyes drifting towards the distance, to mom and I just turned slightly to look at her and then back up at him.

"Carl. Come here for a minute," mom called to me, her arm raised and her hand gesturing for me to go to her. Looking back she gave me a small smile and turned to look back at Shane again.

"Why don't you go see what your mom wants? Hmm? Go on," Shane said as he nudged me to go talk to my mom. Walking to her, I stopped when Shane spoke up. "Hey, Carl. Don't let me hear you talk like that again," he told me slightly mad that I would swear like I did before. With this, he gave me a quick nod and I walked off towards mom...

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"The silt on the bottom is like glue. You just sink in. That's Lou Bush," Hershel said as he led me into the woods, towards a small creek and Jimmy walked ahead. Jimmy was holding onto a pair of sticks, of the types that had a noose around them and kept animals tamed.

"You knew him?" I asked Hershel as he led me deeper into the woods, following closely behind and talking about people he probably knew. _He thinks their sick...but they're not. They're dead. _

"Lou as in Louise. She has a farm up the road. Sweet corn mostly. Worked at Hapman's bar on weekends. The man, I don't know him, but the coveralls, I've been to where he worked," Hershel informed me as we slowed down from our haste. Seeing the walkers stuck in the muck, I looked and saw a man and woman trapped inside it. "How many have you killed?" he asked me as he turned around to look at me.

"Too many to count," I tell him truthfully. _I went through hell to get to my family, then went through another hell trying to save them from these things that are trapped. Killing these...things...in order to save my family was a hard task but...it has to be done._

"Can you stop?" Hershel asked me which made me deliberate, deciding on what to say to him and how to word it so it wouldn't sound offensive. _These things aren't people. They aren't alive and...if...if I want to protect my family...the group then...I'll do whatever it takes._ "There are people out there who haven't been in their right minds, people who I believe can be restored," Hershel declared to me.

"You're not talking about the walkers, are you?" I asked him slightly quizzically. _Dale was right...if he thinks all they are is ill then...I have to do everything for my family...for Kat, Lori, Carl and...the baby. _

"It doesn't matter if you see them as human beings anymore...but if you and your people are going to stay here, that's how you're gonna have to treat them. My farm, my barn, my say," Hershel said, repeating my words from earlier and holding out a stick for me to take. Thinking things over, I clenched my jaw and took the stick from Hershel.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"You see it?" I asked Carol as I walked us towards small lake, walking between the tall grass and stopping in front of a flower, I pointed it at her.

"See what?" she asked me, following me and stopped beside the flower. Pointing at it she looked down at it and stayed silent. _The Cherokee rose. _

"We'll find her," I reassured her. We looked between each other awkwardly, unsure of what to say and what else to do. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened this morning," I apologized to her, unhappy with how I acted and knowing that her and Kat were both looking out for me.

"You wanted to look for her. Why? This whole time I've wanted to ask you," Carol asked me, her eyes would glance up at me, giving me a sad smile and then back down onto the flower. Her eyes staring at it blankly, her lips pursed in a small and sad smile.

"'Cause I think she's still out there," I tell her, confident that the little girl was still out there and surviving. _Hell...if I could do it...she can do it._ "Truth is, what else I got to do?" I said shrugging as I looked down at the flower. This made Carol look up at me sadly, her eyes searching and examining my face from the corner of her eyes.

Slowly, Carol approached the flower and grazed her fingers gently to the flower petals. "We'll find her," she said as she looked down at the flower. "We will," she said which made me look at her curiously. "I see it," she told me softly while she looked into my eyes, making me smile at her kindly and politely.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Otis said if you get them halfway out they'll do the rest of the work," Jimmy told us as him and me tried to pull the walker male out of the crap that was up to their knees. My arms flying around trying to lead the walker out and watching him trying to reach at us.

"How many times did he do this?" I asked Hershel, looking over my shoulder and trying not to strain too hard. My arms and muscles flexing against my skin to try and pull the walker out from the muck.

"If one wandered onto the property, Otis would get them into the barn. Now we have to," Hershel said as he struggled to keep the walker woman tamed by his stick. The walker was trying to grab onto him and it turned out that she just kept trying.

"What happens when the barn gets full?" I asked him, shouting over the growls and gurgles of the walkers. Before Hershel could answer, I fell and landed in the mud. My hands all mucky and knees slightly stained from the mud, my hands and body gripping the ground. Lifting myself up, we struggled to get the walker back and Jimmy fell back too.

Eventually Hershel lead us the way, the walker was now facing Hershel and I made sure it kept his distance from Hershel and Jimmy. We made our way down the trail, to go back to the farm and to head towards the barn...

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"Where is everyone?" Andrea asked as she and T-Dog made their way towards Glenn and Maggie. _She asked the question right before I could ask it myself. _

"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn asked questioning where our 'leader' was. _He gets close to the farmer and now we have to treat him like a leader? Bullshit._

"He went off with Hershel. We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago," Andrea informed us which made me glare at them, Carol speeding up beside me as we reached them. Rick was nowhere to be found and neither was Kat. _Maybe they left together?_

"Yeah you were. What the hell?" I growled as I got closer, everyone was standing and some of our group weren't anywhere to be found. _Well...Kat did leave on her own and maybe Rick went after her so they could look for Sophia together...but...where'd Shane and Dale go?_

"Rick told us he was going out," Carol spoke up, informing everyone that we knew about Ricks plans and how they weren't followed through. _Well...maybe not as he had planned by taking Andrea with him and possibly leaving with Kat instead._

"Damn it. Isn't anybody taking this seriously? We got us a damn trail!" I shouted as I turned my back and looked into the distance. This was when I noticed someone walking towards us. _Shane._ "Oh, here we go," I said as I walked towards him, forgetting the argument we had earlier and surprised to see him holding his gun in his hand. "What's all this?" I asked him confused.

"You with me, man?" Shane asked me as he held out a shotgun to me. Despite everything that happened earlier, I took it and gave him a small 'yeah'. _Whatever he's got planned, it's better to be involved than to sit around and do nothing. I won't let anyone else get hurt by these...freaks._

"Time to grow up," Shane ordered to us as though we were all little kids. He began handing guns out and I cocked mine. Checking the rounds and its condition. "You already got yours?" Shane asked as he looked to Andrea.

"Yeah. Where's Dale?" Andrea asked him as she followed after Shane, all of us following him and getting closer to him. Handing out weapons, I saw Carl get up and head towards us, putting his hat on and slowly making his way closer to us.

"He's on his way," Shane said quickly, not bothered about the man he had possibly came into contact with on the way back.

"Thought we couldn't carry," T-Dog stated as we all checked our guns.

"We can and we have to. Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe...but now we know it ain't," he declared to all of us. _He's talking about the barn..._"How about you, man? You gonna protect yours?" Shane asked as he held out a gun to Glenn. "That's it," Shane approved when Glenn took the gun out of his hand forcefully. "Can you shoot?" Shane asked Maggie.

"Can you stop? You do this...you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight," Maggie pleaded, reasoning that we were going to be kicked out from here if we didn't put an end to this and go back to how we were before this. _We should probably go anyway...with rapists out there...who knows what would happen if we stay...but not until we find Sophia._

"We have to stay, Shane," Carl stood up to Shane, hoping to be heard and only getting ignored by Shane. Lori made her way towards us and this was when I heard horse gallops coming closer. Kat stopped beside me, slowing the horse as she looked down at all the chaos going around us.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

I had searched for hours, coming across nothing and finding no one. The woods were empty, other than one or two roaming walkers. When I reached the farm, I saw everyone huddled into a group, dad, Hershel and Dale nowhere to be found. Carol looked at me expectantly and then frowned when she saw I hadn't found Sophia. "What is this?" I asked as I slowed down, stopping beside Daryl and looking down at them all.

"We ain't going anywhere, okay? Now look, Hershel, he's just gotta understand. Okay? He-...well, he's gonna have to," Shane said as he looked to all of us, this made me confused and unsure of what was going on.

"Now we need to find Sophia. Am I right? Huh? Now I want you to take this. You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother and sister safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on, take the gun and do it," Shane said as he crouched down, holding out a gun for Carl to hold and this made me quickly jump off the horse. Shoving Shane as far away from my brother before Carl had the chance of taking the gun.

"Dad said no guns. This is not your call. This is not your decision to make," I growled at him, venom in my voice and he just clenched his jaw. Standing up straight and his eyes locked on mine. Trying to size him up, I stood straighter and glared at him. Directly in the eyes. _No way is he making my brother take a gun when it was a rule not to have guns on the farm site. _

"Oh shit," I heard T-Dog say as he looked into the distance. This was when we all turned to look at where T-Dog was gazing at. Our expressions horrified and shocked when we saw dad walk with Jimmy and Hershel towards the barn. Execpt...they weren't alone. They had walkers on...leashes. _Like fucking dogs on a walk..._

"What is that? What is that?" Shane growled as he ran towards dad and Hershel. The two of them leading the walkers they had on the sticks towards the barn. Dad trying to rush them into the barn and away from our sights.

"Patricia! Beth! Get that horse into the stables! Now!" I shouted at them and ran after Shane, trying to catch up to him and speeding past all the others in our group who tried to keep up.

"Shane!" mom shouted after them, I was the closest and quickest one out of them, catching up to Shane and trying to shove him back. Trying to slow him down and to stop him chasing after dad.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Shane asked dad angered, following them and slowing down we both looked at the walkers. Shane pacing around as I tried to pull Shane away from them and dad. Shane kept shoving my arm off him and away from him.

"Shane, just back off," dad growled at him, angered that Shane was annoying us and trying to get in the way of dad trying to keep us safe. _He wants to keep the baby and the rest of us safe. He's doing the right thing and this way we get to stay._

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asked dad, unsure of why we were breaking the rule he had set and angered that we were rushing to them after we all knew about the barn. _He's going to kick us out if we don't stop. Someone needs to stop Shane._

"Are you kidding me? You see? You see what they're holding onto?" Shane shouted, circling them and pointing at the walkers. Looking at us, I could see he was mad and angered that these walkers were seen as people. Like sick people.

"I see who I'm holding onto," Hershel pointed out, dad and Hershel struggling to keep the walkers moving. Jimmy stepping in front of the walkers and watching where he was walking. _They're shells of people you thought they were Hershel...not people anymore. Those people are gone...like Jenner said._

"No, man, you don't," Shane growled and walked past dad, trying to get a front view of the walkers and the men trying to lure them into the barn. _Why is Shane being so...intimidating? This is unlike him and...we can't blame the alcohol anymore._

"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk," dad tried to negotiate, trying to keep the rest of us calm and not to panic. Dad was struggling to keep his grip on the walker who could now see Shane before him.

"What you want to talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gonna feel nothing for them 'cause all they do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us," Shane growled and pointed at the walkers who were now slowing down with the pairs footsteps. Andrea and some of the others stood still, nodding in agreement and staring at what was unraveling in front of us.

"Shane, shut up!" dad shouted at him, losing his patience and angered towards Shane. _Shane won't stop. He just...what is wrong with him? He shouldn't be like this. He needs to stop this and no one is doing anything!_

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something. Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Shane said as he pulled out his gun, taking the safety off and aiming for the walker. I went to stop him and Hershel looked at Shane worried.

"No!" Hershel screamed but it was too late. Shane shot the woman walker in the chest. The walker wasn't startled, instead she kept walking and tried to grab at Shane.

"Stop it!" I shouted as I tried to shove Shane's arm down and away from shooting at the walkers. _This isn't right. This is making me feel sick...making my stomach twist and turn. This isn't Shane. He's putting us all in danger!_

"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still coming? That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?" Shane shouted as he kept shooting, showing that the walkers weren't alive.

"Shane, enough!" dad shouted at Shane, but Shane just nods and walks closer to him. Trying to pull him back but he just kept walking and shrugged my hand away from him.

"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough," Shane declared as he walked forward and shot the woman walker in the head. Hershel falling to his knees and looking out towards the distance, his eyes looking up at Shane and then down sadly.

I froze there, unable to move and unsure of what to do next. I then felt a hand grip for mine, looking down I saw it was Carl and mom held onto his shoulders, trying to pull him to her. "Kat," Carl cried out sadly as he pulled me to him, hugging him tightly and moving him to be with mom, I felt mom's hand slip into mine.

"Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. Enough!" Shane shouted out to all of us, pointing out things that weren't true and some that were true. "Rick, it ain't like it was before!" Shane said as he looked directly at dad who held onto the other walker. "Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now," Shane shouted as he went running towards the barn doors.

"Take the snare pole. Hershel, take the snare pole. Hershel, listen to me, man, please. Take it now. Hershel! Take it!" dad screamed, pleading to the remorseful man that sat on the ground and his daughter's hands rested on his shoulders. Looking around, I saw people frightened, prepared and I saw the small fright in Carl's eyes.

"No, Shane," I shouted out as I ran towards him, trying to pull him away from the doors. He was thumping it, trying to smash the door chain off and trying to rip the boards off. Nothing seemed to be working for the locks.

"Do not do this, brother. Wait! Don't do it!" dad shouted out to Shane seeing as every pull, every hold I had on Shane slipped and didn't work. Shane kept hitting at the door, trying to find a way to open it and cause havoc.

"Rick!" I heard mom shout to dad and this was when I found strength to shove him as far away as I could. Gripping onto his weapon and shoving his arm away from the door.

"Let me go Kat," Shane told me as calmly as he could, sounding like a growl more than a warning and this was when I shoved him as hard as I could. "Let me go!" Shane screamed before I felt something I thought I would never feel from Shane in my entire life.

"Kat!" I heard multiple voices scream out at me, one side of my face stinging and my body falling to the floor on my side. Looking up at Shane I saw him look down at me, his eyes wild and his mouth hanging open. His pacing got worse as he looked down at me, his facial expressions blank and I held onto my cheek.

"What the fuck man?" I heard Daryl growl as he got closer to me, offering me his hand and getting up on my feet with his help. I could hear my mom calling to me and dad's face was hard. Carl was crying out for me, walking to them I saw Carl run to me and hug me tightly.

Dad kept pleading but Shane found a way to open the door, stepping away and everyone got their guns ready. All but me, Glenn and dad. "Get behind me," mom said as she pulled Carl and me behind her. I shook my head at her and stood still. Staying on the spot, a few steps away from dad. Staring at the barn that was filled with walkers.

Slowly the barn doors opened enough to let one out at a time, two or three piling out and growling at us. Trying to reach us but slowly being put down by Shane, Andrea, T-Dog and Daryl. "Maggie," Glenn asked for Maggie's acceptance, looking away and nodding at him. He joined the others and shot at the walkers. Looking at the walkers slowly fall, I noticed Shane shoot down the walker dad held, Hershel never moving and others crying over the walkers that fell.

"Stay back!" dad screamed to Carl who had ran towards dad but stopped when mom pulled him and laid down with him on the floor. I was frozen, watching what was happening slowly quiet down and come to a stop.

Gradually Dale made his way towards us, looking at all that had happened Dale's eyes went wide and we were all silent. My heart pounding in my chest as I looked towards the mess we had made. That was until I heard the soft gurgles and moans of another walker.

Seeing the walker, I saw its small feet and then slowly my eyes travelled up to its face. My heart thudding against my rib cage from fear for a second, from the realization and then sinking when I saw their state. Falling to my knees, I felt hopeless and felt a numbing feeling. Tears threatened to build up but I bit them back. My head hung low as I let my hands touch the ground, my ass planted to the ground, waiting for all of it to be over and done with.

"Sophia? Sophia! Sophia. Sophia. Oh no. Sophia. Sophia. No. Sophia," Carol cried as she ran towards her now walker daughter. It was in fact...Sophia who came out of the barn last. Her skin pale, her hair messy and falling out. There was a huge bite mark on her shoulder and no emotion or life in her eyes. Sophia was...gone.

"Don't watch," I could hear mom say to Carl and slightly to me. Shutting my eyes tightly, I heard footsteps get closer to the girl and further away from me. _Dad...he's..._that was when I heard the bang. Then the falling of the body to the ground. This...was when I knew Sophia was dead.

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><p><strong>Not going to lie...I feel terrible that I kept to the story like this and well...it kind of needs to happen. Shane was right in a twisted way. {Does a Shane impression} After 48 hours- joking! Anyway...there is going to be some tension after Shane hitting Kat like that and with Daryl finding out Kat was almost raped! Wow! We've seen that Kat is a fighter but a lover. Let's see what else happens huh? Thanks for all the support so far! I'm going to answer you guys again as I feel it is better to connect to you guys.<strong>

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><p><strong>Guest: Thanks for supporting Kat as a character. To be quite honest...she feels like she belongs in the show somehow to me. She's going to be a very important character to them all...you'll see how and why soon. Hopefully.<strong>

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><p><strong>ELMOlifebro: I take it you really do love it! I'm pleased. Thank you for the encouragement. Yes...I've read too many where it's a character falling in love too quickly with Daryl and...Daryl acting unaccordingly as to how Norman portrays him. I don't want it revolving around Daryl and Kat seeing as she has a family she loves, cares and always wants to protect. In all honesty, she thinks more about her family than she does herself...as you can see in this chapter.<strong>

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><p><strong>redangel2463: Yes! It was scary to write too! I don't like Kat being in danger like that. She's like my baby. As for the RandalDaryl thing...{Whistles innocently} Not going to spoil anything! But...it's all planned out carefully. I have everything more or less in order and I know what I want to happen in each chapter. Daryl and Kat will eventually get together. Just be patient. Daryl isn't the type to jump into a relationship and...quite honestly...neither is Kat. You'll eventually see why but...it's partly to do with her family!**

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Thanks for the support and understanding. I know...I hate those types of stories. It's unrealistic of Daryl to be like that. Norman even says it! "Daryl isn't the type of guy to throw you against the tree and kiss you under the moonlight!" so...I hope I'm doing Norman proud. Daryl may think Kat is pretty and other things but...he doesn't accept feelings yet. You'll soon see when. Until then...Kat is focused on keeping her family safe and happy.<strong>

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><p><strong>Bestbuds55: Hmm...I don't know. We'll see. No spoilers but...all I'll say is "Wait and see!"<strong>

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><p><strong>Thanks for the reviews and...please...give me feedback on what you thought of this chapter. What you think will happen? What would you like to see? Also...really important but...do you guys like the flash backs?<strong>

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	13. Chapter 13: Tense

Chapter 13: Tense

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

_~15 years ago~ _

_Kat and I were sat on the couch, we had just finished watching a scary movie. Kat hadn't let me go throughout the entire movie. She was afraid and I could see it from the wideness of her eyes, the tremble in her lip and the shiver down her spine. Her whimpering was the biggest give away be the end of the movie._

_"Kat...baby girl..." I called her softly as she gripped onto me tightly, her hands drawled up my shirt into her fists. She crawled up to get onto my lap, the room was dark and her hair was slightly messy from her hiding her face into my chest. "It was only a movie baby girl..." I tell her sweetly._

_"I-I'm still so scared daddy..." she tells me her voice trembling from her light crying. This made me heart sink and crumble at the thought of her being so scared as she was. _

_"Baby girl...it was only a movie and anyway...you have me to protect you. I'll always protect you. Now and forever," I tell her and she looked up at me, her blue eyes were red from tears and her face stained. I wiped at her tears gently._

_"Promise?" she asked me and I nod. Kissing her cheek lightly, I cuddled her close to me and kept her tucked into my lap gently._

_"I promise," I answered her and she sniffled, forgetting all about the film and being her normal self for the rest of the night. When Lori got back from work, Kat told her all about what we saw and how I would protect her from the monsters. This made Lori giggle, smile and look to both me and Kat. Kissing Kat on the forehead, she picked up our daughter and came to sit beside me. Planting a sweet kiss to my lips as we sat to watch another...happier movie..._

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><p><strong>Present day...RPOV<strong>

Looking down at the now dead walker Sophia, I lowered my gun and placed it in my holster. Kat hadn't moved, hadn't cried and hadn't looked when I shot Sophia. Carol left, sobbing and walked off towards the RV, staring at the dead Sophia I felt a lump grow in my throat and looked away. We then had to save Beth from trying to get close to her mother. Who wasn't dead and still growling.

"Don't ever touch my daughter like that again..." I growled at Shane as I looked at him, he may of hit her from the anger and rush of trying to open the door by accident but...I wasn't fine with him hurting my daughter. _She's my baby girl. I'll protect her from everything and even from my best friend._

Walking past, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder. I kept moving and heard Shane walk to her, his face sad. "Kat...I-" Shane said as I turned to look at him, he reached out and tried to touch Kat, she just shrugged away from him and glared up at him.

"Save it. Don't touch me. You're a monster Shane. A monster. Next time you hurt me...I swear to you I'll chop your god damned hands off Shane. I swear it," she growled up at him, her tone vicious and her head hung low again. He frowned and gulped sadly, his eyes flickering up at me and then to Lori. His eyes landing on Kat as he took his gun and walked towards a retreating Hershel, angry.

"We've been out. Weve been combing these woods looking for her and she was in there all along? You knew!" Shane declared angrily as I followed after him, leaving my grieving family out there and my unmoving daughter there. Trying to pull Shane away from Hershel as they went towards the house.

"Leave us alone," Maggie spat at him angered that he was making such accusations. _Shane's...changed. This isn't the man I knew. The man I called brother._

"Hey, Shane, just stop, man," I say trying to push him away from the family who were shocked and upset by what just happened. _This isn't going to go well with Hershel..._

"Get your hands off me," Shane growled at me as he shrugged his arm away from my grasp. _This isn't Shane. He would never be aggressive towards anyone and...especially not Kat or to me. _ "You knew and you kept it from us," Shane said as he followed the family.

"I didn't know," Hershel told him without turning to look at Shane. Shane kept up and kept walking, I was watching him in case he would flip and so was Maggie. _I won't let what happened to Kat happen to anyone else. _

"That's bullshit. I think y'all knew," Shane spat at them, keeping this theory going and telling them things that were crazy. _If they knew then...we would have stopped looking a long time ago!_

"We didn't know!" Maggie repeated after her dad. _They're telling the truth. I can feel it and I know it. They wouldn't be letting us out there searching for the little girl if they knew she was dead._

"Why was she there?!" Shane asked angered by the fact we found out that Sophia was in the barn all along. _We don't know. I don't believe even the Greene family would know why she was and how. They believe those walkers we killed were people!_

"Your-" Hershel went to say something but gave up and walked up the stairs. "Otis put those people in the barn. Maybe he found her and put her in there before he was killed," Hershel said while he turned around and looked down at me, Shane and Glenn.

"You expect me to believe that? Do I look like an idiot?" Shane asked Hershel, stepping closer and pacing on his feet. Changing the weight on them and looking nervous in some way. _This isn't Shane._

"Shane, hey hey hey," I told him trying to calm him. Placing my hand on his chest and gently pushing him back. Trying to keep his head level but he was more hot-headed than rational.

"I don't care what you believe!" Hershel shouted at him, being pushed to the point of mad and irritated. _We just murdered his family...all thanks to Shane's hot-headed attitude and anger._

"Everybody just calm down," I say when an argument began to rise again, Hershel and Shane shouting over each other as Shane got closer to Hershel. Shane's tone and body language were threatening.

"Get him off my land! Please," Hershel pleaded, angered and irritated with how Shane was threatening him. _What the hell is going on?!_

"No. Let me tell you something," Shane said as he stepped up, trying to shove the two apart and Shane just growled. Getting face to face with Hershel, his eyes glaring at the elder man and tone was vicious.

"Hey," Maggie said as she got towards the steps, to where her father was and got between the two. "Don't touch him!" she shouted at Shane as she slapped him square on the cheek and Glenn pushed the two away from each other. "Haven't you done enough?" she asked him angered and upset that he tried to threaten her father. Shane's glare now on the two of them, his jaw clamped and face dark.

"I mean it. Off my land," Hershel told us after he reached the top steps, looking down on us and then turned his back on us to head inside. Leaving me, Glenn and Shane outside on the bottom steps. Glenn looked at the two of us, a look of disapproval on his face and his eyes glued to Shane's angry ones.

"What are you doing? Hey, what are you doing?" I asked Shane when Glenn stepped inside and left me with Shane. He looked away and towards the barn. _I hope he regrets all he did. All the pain he's just caused for everyone..._

"Daryl almost died looking for her, Rick. Any one of us could have! Kat...she almost got raped out there looking for that little girl!" he said which made me wince. I knew it wasn't a good idea for her to go out there alone and...yes...she saved herself but..._I'm her dad. I'm meant to protect her at all costs._ "I'm gonna tell you right now...that son of a bitch, he knew," he said after he notice me flinch slightly. This made me shake my head at him.

"He didn't know. He's not like that. He opened his home to us," I told him, pointing to the house and squinting at him. Stunned that he would even consider that Hershel knew all about Sophia being in the barn. _He said it multiple times...Otis would lead the walkers into the barn._

"He put us all in danger. Man, he kept a barn full of walkers," he told me. His feet shuffling closer to me and waddling as he kept moving his weight from one foot to the other. _He has a point but...Hershel's view needs to be pointed out._

"So you just start an insurrection, hand out guns and massacre his family?" I asked him stunned he would say such things. _The man just lost his family as far as he knows. We killed his family._

"His family's dead, Rick," Shane pointed out which made me glare at him. Our faces close enough to have an intense and angered argument. I just nod and pause for a moment before continuing to speak.

"Well, he doesn't believe that. He thinks you just murdered them in cold blood," I said pointing towards the house. Angered that he would say something like that and not consider the point of view Hershel has. The two of us getting closer to each other, threatening and tense.

"No, man, I don't care what he thinks," he told me as he got close to my face, his eyes looking directly into mine. Angered and uncaring. _This isn't the Shane I know. The Shane I grew up with and the Shane I called my brother._

"I was handling it, brother. I was handling it and you just-" I was about to tell him, trying to remind him of the love we shared for each other. _Like he was my blood. That was until he slept with Lori. Everything changed after that...after I got back and found out that him and my wife were together._

"You had us out in those woods looking for a little girl that every single one of us knew was dead! That's what you did. Rick, you're just as delusional as that guy," Shane said pointing towards me, then to the group and finally to Hershel's home. His eyes looking me up and down in anger and distrust. As though I had done the worst things in my life. _Maybe I have..._ "You handling it, huh?" Shane asked me as he walked off, rubbing at his head and leaving me to my thoughts. _What do I do now?..._

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"I thought I'd find her," I could hear Carl say a few steps away from me. My head hung low and I kept my eyes on the floor. My hands grazing onto the dirt, my ass planted on the ground and my knees bent as I was in a straddle like position.

"We all did," mom said to him softly, she was possibly holding him by what I could hear and this made me frown. Shutting my eyes tightly, I held back the tears and didn't dare to move. In fear I would break down and let go of all my hope.

"I mean, me. That I'd be the one. Like maybe she was hiding somewhere in a cave or a tree. She'd be safe back. And I'd find her and bring he he did the right thing, shooting her like that. I would've done it, too," Carl explained and made my breath shiver. _He's right. Dad did do the right thing and yet...he didn't. It should have been me to put her down but I wasn't strong enough._

"Dale?" I heard mom call out for the elder man and footsteps came closer to us. Some were more distant and others were slower. _Don't move. Don't even look. Sophia is dead...all beacuse of you Kat. You froze when you had the chance to save Sophia and prevent this from ever happening._

"Yeah?" Dale answered as he got closer, his footsteps stopping and the sound of movement made me open my eyes, checking to see if anyone was getting close to me. Few feet moved past me and towards the walkers that were all laid out on the floor.

"Could you take Carl up to the house?" mom asked of Dale and this made him nod in response seeing as I didn't hear any answer out loud. "I want you to rest," mom said looking at Carl from her tone. _She must be concerned about Carl after saying something so openly. _

"Okay," Carl agreed, this was when I heard shuffling and then the sound of footsteps retreating towards the house. My head still hanging low and my body stiff from the lack of movement.

"Hey, you dropped that," I heard dad's voice say as he got closer to us. His footsteps sounding closer and slowing down.

"You want us to start burying?" T-Dog asked as he looked towards dad and the rest of us, I could see it from the corner of my eyes and didn't want to look up.

"We need a service. Carol would want that," Andrea spoke and I just stayed silent. _I failed her...I failed Sophia. How many more people can I fail in this life?_

"Yeah, we all want that," T-Dog admitted. _We all want things and sometimes...its things that we can't have. Maybe Hershel won't permit us burying Sophia and will tell us he wants us off his land right now..._

"Let's let's dig a grave for Sophia, and Annette and Shawn, uh, over by those trees...and we'll need a truck to move the bodies," mom said strongly but her voice was shaking slightly. I could feel her eyes look towards me from behind and dad's too. _They're worried._

"I'll get the keys," Jimmy went to go and walk towards the house. He was then stopped but I didn't bother to look up and see who it was.

"No no. I got the truck," Shane said alerting me that it was him who stopped Jimmy and the one who was with dad walking towards us. He was now beside the others while my parents stood behind me and continued the conversation.

"And the others?" Jimmy asked unsure what to do with the other bodies. "That's a lot of digging," Jimmy commentated. _It's the whole point about death in this world. More than half of us are dead now and...all we have now are bodies to be rolled into the mud...to decompose under the soil._

"We bury the ones we love and burn the rest," Andrea explained and I didn't look. Didn't feel. All I could feel was an overwheming sadness...not just for Sophia and her mother but...for the things that were to come.

"Let's get to work," mom said as he walked past me, her hand gently touching my shoulder and slipping her hands into her pockets as she walked to the bodies. Stopping when she notice everyone walk away and pulling dad away from the others. Talking quietly to themselves...

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"She still hasn't moved?" I asked Lori as I noticed Kat not move from where she sat on the ground. She seemed...distraught. Like she was holding back...like she was...numb. It scared me a little.

"No. She hasn't said a word since Shane tried to touch her. She just...God...Rick...I'm worried," Lori told me, whispering back and looking at me with worried eyes, her gaze flashing towards our daughter who hadn't moved an inch since she saw Sophia exit the barn.

"Me too," I answer. _My baby girl...what is wrong? I wish I knew how to comfort you. How to help you through this time. All I know is we both must feel guilty for this death. She almost got raped in the process of searching and slapped in the face by Shane..._

"Who know's what's going on in her mind right now..." Lori said worried, taking a hard swallow she looked away and turned to gaze into my eyes. "What did Hershel say?" she asked me changing the subject.

"He wants us off the farm, or Shane at least," I informed her trying to be as quiet as she was and moving as far away from Kat as possible. _What a mess we made of it all..._

"That's not a surprise. We're lucky someone wasn't killed. And all that gunfire More walkers could've heard it," she said as she looked around slightly disoriented from all that had happened. Making me think about the danger guns had in this world now. "Baby, what is it?" she asked me when she looked up to study my face.

"She was there all the time," I told her, pointing to the barn lazily and looking everywhere but in her eyes. _I did this...I didn't save her as well as I could have. I did so many things wrong and...I don't know what's right anymore..._

"And you did everything you could," Lori comforted me, trying to make it seem as though I couldn't do anymore than what I already had. _Kat did more for Sophia than I ever could and she was out there every day while I was inside after trying to save Carl._

"Yeah, I know. I always do, don't I? Went after her, protected her, killed those walkers, but she still got bit. Carl still got shot and Kat almost got raped," I informed her while I kicked the dirt a little, my eyes glancing down and then up at her. Telling her the solid truth made he gulp a little, her face solid and expressionless. As though she was hiding her emotions from me this way.

"People counting on me and I had 'em chasing...a ghost in a forest...and now...Kat won't even move from that spot," I said, my voice shaking at the thought of everything that had happened these past couple of days and now...hours. Lori went to touch my face but I just moved away and walked off.

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

I could hear small parts of the discussion mom and dad had. My eyes shutting at moments. Trying hard not to cry and let my guard down. "Hey..." I heard mom's voice as she got closer to me. "Kitten...I...look. I know you're upset about Sophia...we all are. You might be thinking that this is your fault but...you need to know it isn't your fault and it's no one's fault that-" mom went to comfort me, crouching down to look at me and I just shook my head.

"Mom...you don't know what I'm thinking. Please leave me alone," I asked her softly, dully and dryly. Never looking into her eyes or up to her face. My head still hung low. My throat was tight and there was a huge lump stuck in it. _Would explain how I sound so...unlike myself._

"But-" mom tried to start again and this was when I looked up at her, my hair was probably a mess and my face might have been a little red from the hit I had received from Shane earlier. Mom's eyes were sad and slightly shocked that I had cut her off from continuing her sentence.

"No mom! You don't get it! I went out there every day, hoping to make things right for what I didn't do. God mom...you don't get it do you?! If that was Carl and I froze up like I did with Sophia...if...if I found him in that barn...I wouldn't be able to live with myself," I told her angered and saddened. My voice trembling a little at the thought of Carl being in the same position as Sophia.

"Baby-" mom went to touch my face gently. Quickly, like lightning I stood on my two feet and mom mirrored my movements. Stepping away from her as I looked at her, shaking my head vigorously in disagreement.

"No. Stop it mom. You don't get it. While Sophia tried to get away from that walker, I could have done something to save her and instead...I froze. I didn't do anything. It makes me think of what would happen if Carl was in her position. Would I freeze again?! Will it cost me his life...and...my own. Without Carl mom...I don't know what I'd do," I tell her, tears were building up in my eyes at the thought of losing Carl. He was what I fought for...he was my life and without him...I don't have much reason to live.

"Sophia's death is on me mom...it's on me," I tell her, letting a few tears fall and the pain in my heart drop further into my stomach. The pain I felt was overwhelming and I just needed time to myself. Mom looked at me sad, my pain reflecting in her eyes and I walked away. Finding a quiet and safe place to cry to myself. To let myself mourn Sophia properly and to wait for the funeral to start.

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><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

After having my chat with Rick and Kat, I went to go check up on Carl. He was fast asleep and I left him to go look for the others. They were burying the bodies but had just finished wrapping the bodies up, placing them correctly and buried their resting places.

Heading towards the RV, I knocked on the opened door and stepped up to look at Daryl and Carol who were inside the RV. "They're ready," I inform them and Carol just shook her head at me, her bottom lip trembling. "Come on," I encouraged and Carol just stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Why?" Carol asked us dully, as though her life had been ripped out of her and she had no sense of hope left. _I wouldn't blame her...she lost her daughter and found her dead...as a walker. I wouldn't know how I would be like if that was Kat or Carl..._

"'Cause that's your little girl," Daryl informed her, as though she needed reminding and it was something she did need reminding of. Sophia is dead and it was something that happened...even if non of us wanted it to.

"That's not my little girl. That's some other_...thing_. My Sophia was alone in the woods. All this time I thought...she didn't cry herself to sleep. She didn't go hungry. She didn't try to find her way back," she said which made me frown. _Kat feels to blame...maybe it was Carol's hope that made her push further...but finding Sophia like that is destroying all of us. Kat the most. _ "Sophia died a long time ago," Carol told us which made me think of how Ed had treated them both...

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

The funeral service was sad, everyone was looking to one another and to the graves with serious or frowns. Dad and I were both with the same type of expression, serious but...numb. I looked as though I couldn't feel anymore by the way my mom held my hand and how she tried to comfort me. My eyes glued to the graves, to Sophia's grave and never looking away.

"Sweetie, can you hear me?" mom and I heard Maggie say as we walked into the house, hearing from Glenn about what happened to Beth. Maggie sat beside her sister, looking at Beth's pale and open-eyed face. Frozen.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked concerned for the young Greene daughter. She looked...terrible and it was worrying.

"She might be in shock," mom said and this reminded me of what happened earlier. _The girl did lose her mother and brother...she was almost grabbed by her walker mom and eaten. Wouldn't surprise me the girl is in shock._

"Where's Hershel?" I asked, curious as to where the vet was. As to what he could be doing that was to be put before his daughter. _It must be something pretty big because...my dad would never put anyone or anything before me and Carl...or mom._

"We can't find him anywhere," Glenn told us, he was leaning against the wall, by the corner of the room and looked at the two who were on the bed. His eyes glancing up to inform us of what he knew. This was when Shane, dad, mom, Maggie and Glenn walked into Hershel's room. I decided to stay inside with Beth, looking after her until Maggie and Patricia returned.

"Hey Kat...I'm sorry. I heard about what Shane did to you. That wasn't right," I heard Dale say as he slipped into the room, standing behind me and looking down at Beth who was in shock on the bed.

"It was an accident," I say to him, informing him of what he hadn't seen and what had actually happpened...even if Shane did hit me. Dale stood closer beside me and looked down at me.

"If you say so. I mean...he's...not right. Don't you think?" he asks me which makes me look away from Beth and up at him. Curious as to what he meant. _Shane's changed...yes but...the way he says it makes me feel like...he knows things I don't..._

"He's not right in a lot of things," I answer and look back down at Beth, checking her forehead for her temperature, she was burning up and I was gently washing her face with some cold water. Hoping that it would work and get her back to functioning.

"I don't mean by choices exactly but...how he shows them. I know he's changed. He's not the same man we all knew. He hurt you and...I think he killed Otis. Men like him...they end up killing someone else and...it won't stop until he gets what he wants," Dale explained which made me furrow my brows in thought. Wiping and dabbing the cloth against Beth's forehead to give her some coldness and colour back. Hopeful that the blood would rush back into her brain correctly.

"I didn't want to mention this but...a while ago when we were in the woods...your dad, Shane and I...I saw Shane lift his gun to your dad. Aiming it at him..." Dale informed me which made me look up at him surprised. My eyes wide and brows furrowed in shock horror. The sound of footsteps and angry discussions between Shane, mom and dad was going on.

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

Checking in on Beth, I saw she still hadn't changed from when I had last seen her. Looking out the window, I saw that Rick and Glenn still hadn't made it back. "Her heart's racing. She's burning up. We need Hershel. He'll know what to do," Andrea told me as she walked up to me. Looking at her I nod and turned my back on her. About to head out but quickly I turned to her.

"Would you look in on Carl and Kat for me?" I ask her, worried about my children that were trying to cope with the loss of Sophia in their own and very different ways. _I'm worried about them and...they need their father. _

"Of course," Andrea agreed kindly and cuddled into her sweater some more. Her eyes looking at me as I walked out the door. Seeing something and hearing something that I hadn't in a long time. It gave me a sad...slow smile. One that tore at my heart-strings a little.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Hey..." I heard mom's soft voice call to me. Sat on the bench outside the house, I had the guitar on my lap and I was strumming softly. My eyes looking out towards the distance, to the sunset and my thoughts were blank but...a huge muddle. Words floating around in my head and things that happened...questions. The whole lot went in full circle in my mind and drove me slightly crazy.

"Hey..." I answered her back as I strummed. Needing to get the thoughts out of my head by strumming and keeping my mind cleared by focusing on the chords I was playing.

"Be alright by Lucy Rose?" mom asked me with a small smile on her face, her eyes shinning softly and her face glowing slightly. _This is her favourite song...of course she would be like this and especially whenever I play it or sing it...or both. She loves this song just as much as she loves our family. _

"Yeah..." I agreed quietly, playing the familiar chords over and over again. Remembering the song word by word, cord by chord and focusing on that. Mom walked closer and looked at me sadly but happily.

"Look I'm uh...going to have a little walk around the farm...get some fresh air for a while. Look in on Carl for me?" she asked me which made me want to roll my eyes at her. _Did she really just ask me this question?_

"I'll always take care of my baby brother mom. Always. You don't have to worry about that," I tell her as I looked up at her and she gave me a small smile, her head nodding.

"I know...and I don't worry about it..." she informs me and walks towards me. She presses a soft kiss to the top of my head and pulls me into a hug. "I love you," she whispers into my hair, it was up in a messy pony tail and she held me to her tightly.

"Love you too," I tell her as I gently wrapped an arm around her. Knowing this was our version of saying sorry to each other, that we forgave and that we understood each other. _She only wants me happy and safe. Comforts me when I need it most._ Pulling away, she walked down the stairs and towards the distance. After a few moments deliberation, I went inside and played a board game with Carl.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

I was sitting down angered and trying to relax by sharpening my knife, grazing it to cut the tip of a wooden stick. "Moving to the suburbs?" Lori's voice teased as I heard her footsteps get closer to me. "Listen, Beth's in some kind of catatonic shock. We need Hershel," Lori informs me as she got closer and stopped to crouch down beside me.

"Yeah. So what?" I asked her unamused and not bothered by this new fact I have now learnt. _Beth means nothing to me. Just like Hershel means nothing to me. The man may have fixed me up with some bandages and stitches but...that don't mean shit to me._

"So I need you to run into town real quick and bring him and Rick back," Lori informed me as she asked me this favour. _Not my problem. Rick went after that old man...well...fuck him and I hope he enjoys the town._ "Daryl?" Lori called for my attention when she realized I wasn't listening and continued with my sharpening of my knife.

"Your bitch went window-shopping. You want him? Go fetch him yourself," I told her as I looked up at her, looking directly into her hazel eyes. _They're not like Kats but...they're doe like and her face is the same shade as Kats...but Lori is no Kat_. "I got better things to do," I tell her as I looked away and continued to work on my knife.

"What's the matter with you? Don't you be so selfish," she growled at me angered that I would reject her like that. _Selfish? Did she really pull that card on me?! I ain't fucking selfish! Not like this whiny bitch is!_

"Selfish? Listen to me, Olive Oyl. I was out there looking for that little girl every single day. I took a bullet and an arrow in the process," I said pausing as I stood up and she stood up too. She looked slightly saddened by this fact, her face wincing when she knew I was telling her the solid truth.

_Not to mention your own daughter went out there every day too, even when she was almost raped and saved herself from those attackers! It ain't my fault you don't know how to protect and keep track of your own! Seems like no one else can stand going out there except me and Kat! Rick goes out for stupid shit like this fucking farmer!_

"Don't you tell me about me getting my hands dirty! You want those two idiots? Have a nice ride. I'm done looking for people," I growled at her as I took my seat and continued with my knife. I was exhausted. From all the searching, all the hope I had and the fact there were so many secrets that I had no clue about.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Hershel," I called out to him, he was sat on the bar stool and drinking down the strong stuff. He seemed...shocked in his own way and it made me sad. _Is this what it really came to? Didn't he say his father was a drunk?_

"Who's with you?" he asked as he possibly noted that there was another pair of footsteps that accompanied mine. _Glenn seems more nervous than pleased to see Hershel is still alive..._

"Glenn," I answered him honestly. _Why would he want to know? Is this about the possibility of it being Shane? Because...Shane wouldn't go after him like I would...like Glenn would._

"Maggie sent him?" Hershel asked me, I looked to Glenn as we edged closer and walked as slowly as to not startle Hershel or anger him further. There was a smile in Hershel's voice, as though he was positive he knew it was the right reason as to why Glenn was here.

"He volunteered. He's good like that," I informed Hershel of exactly who and what Glenn was like. _Glenn has done more for me and for my family. Without me even realizing it at times..._"How many have you had?" I asked Hershel as I walked closer to him, stopping to stand beside him and Glenn slowed down to keep a distance between us.

"Not enough," Hershel said as he looked down at his drink. He was swaying a little, his breath and entire body smelt of the drink he was currently drinking. _How could he do something like this? He's putting himself at risk! Especially when his daughters need him most right now!_

"Let's finish this up back at home. Beth collapsed, is in some sort of state. Must be in shock...I think you are too," I tell him, trying to reason and make him see sense that his daughters needed him there with them. Hershel kept looking me in the eyes, his gaze wavering off to the side sometimes.

"Maggie's with her?" he asked me with raised eyebrows. This made me tilt the head to the side a little but then look at him a little unsure what exactly he was thinking and asking me about.

"Yeah, but Beth needs you," I tell him and he just looks away, cradling the drink in his hands. He never looked more low than he did right now in the amount of time I knew him. _He always seems so strong...a man of wisdom and...this is what becomes of him?_

"What could I do? She needs her mother. Or rather to mourn like she should've done weeks ago. I robbed her of that. I see that now," Hershel tells us, looking off into the distance and to his cup. I would look at him and the bar. Glenn was looking around, listening for anyone who was intruding and for walkers. Hershel took a long sip of his drink.

"You thought there was a cure. Can't blame yourself for holding out for hope," I said, a small smile forming on my lips when I thought of someone who would approve of what I just said. _I'm starting to sound like Kat...like myself when I would talk to her when she was a child..._

"Hope? When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had little hope he would survive," Hershel said as a smile lit up his face. Like I had given him something to smile about but...this smile was off as it didn't make the crinkle around his eyes form. It made it seem...sarcastic in a small way...

"But he did," I inform Hershel, reminding him that my son survived not just by luck or a miracle...but because of Hershel and all the other's help. _God...that time was horrible. Kat was so sad about not being beside Carl during that time...she did what she needed to do...to 'right her wrong'...and it makes me proud of her. No matter the outcome._

"He did. Even though we lost Otis. Your man Shane made it back and we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me miracles do exist. Only it was a sham, a bait and switch. I was a fool, Rick, and you people saw that. My daughters deserve better than that," Hershel said saddened after such happiness he had on his face. When he finished what he said, he took a long gulp of his drink and filled it up with some more. _He feels like hope is lost...isn't he a man of God? Where is his faith?_

"So what do we do? Just wait for him to pass out?" Glenn asked me when he got startled, thinking that there was a walker roaming around but instead it was just the passing of leaves with the wind. The both of us by the doors, waiting to see if Hershel would change his mind.

"Just go. Just go!" Hershel shouted out at us, his voice slightly slurred as I turned and looked at him. He seemed lost, unsure of what to do with himself and Glenn was getting worried about walkers roaming around. About our safety.

"I promised Maggie I'd bring you home safe," I told him as took a few steps closer to him, looking at him in the distance, I could see he still shook a little and was getting a little more than tipsy. After he heard this, he gave a small sarcastic chuckle.

"Like you promised that little girl?" he questioned me, causing my body to tense and my jaw to clench. _Did he really just say that? How not to mention that I failed that little girl...that I didn't save her or find her when I could...that...was a low blow._

"So what's your plan? Finish that bottle? Drink yourself to death and leave your girls alone?" I growled as I took a few more steps closer. My anger was growing and I was getting impatient with how rude Hershel had become. _Drunk Hershel is being an asshole. I needed to hit him where I knew it would hurt._

"Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm. You people are like a plague! I do the Christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all!" Hershel shouted as he finally stood up and away from the bar counter, his face angered and his body prepared to argue and possibly fight.

"The world was already in bad shape when we met," I informed him as I took a few steps closer, trying to get him to tell me everything he needed to say out loud and in the open. His face got more angered as I got closer, looking him directly into his eyes.

"And you take no responsibility! You're supposed to be their leader!" he shouted at me, I could feel Glenn's eyes watching us and how Hershel's body shook with every word he said. _Hershel is angered and betrayed by what happened. He's ashamed but it has no need to take it out on me and to not be there for his daughters in this time of suffering...of grief..._

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" I asked him, my voice as loud and angered as I could get it. Fed up with how Hershel was treating us in this alcohol fueled state. _If this was even a fraction of how his father was like...I don't want to know how he could be fine reflecting a man he didn't love._

"Yes. Yes. Yes, you are," Hershel said, accepting what I said and nodding slowly. He walked away and turned his back on us, Glenn had walked closer, possibly unsure if there would be a fight or not. Hershel sat back down and continued to drink.

"Now come on. Your girls need you now more than ever," I tried to reason, feeling guilty about the outburst we both had and trying to convince him that it was time to return home. To our families. To our loved ones. I went to grab his arm, to lift him off the stool and he just moved his arm away from me and looked into my eyes.

"I didn't want to believe you. You told me there was no cure, that these people were dead, not sick. I chose not to believe that...but when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming, that's when I knew what an ass I'd been," Hershel said looking me directly in the eye. It was too much to take in and it seemed to sadden me. _He had hope but...not every sense of hope is the same as others._

"That Annette had been dead long ago and I was feeding a rotten corpse! That's when I knew there was no hope...and when that little girl came out of the barn, the look on your face...the look on your daughter's face...I knew you both knew it too. Right? There is no hope...and you know it now, like I do. Don't you? There is no hope for any of us," Hershel said directly to me, this made me look away and him to turn back to his drink, looking at Glenn we exchanged a glance. _What would Kat say? What would she do if she was here?_

"Look, I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore, cleaning up after you. You know what the truth is? Nothing has changed. Death is death. It's always been there, whether it's from a heart attack, cancer, or a walker. What's the difference? You didn't think it was hopeless before, did you?" I asked him, telling him exactly what I thought and what I knew Kat would be proud of.

"Now there are people back at home trying to hang on. They need us, even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, even if we don't believe it ourselves. You know what? This- this isn't about what we believe anymore. It's about them," I tell him, rubbing at my face and looking away from Hershel when I said about believing in what we said..._I need to believe...not just for me and my family but...I owe it to Kat. _

Just as I saw Hershel's expression slowly change, I saw it change from sadness, to understanding and finally to agreement. He was determined, he finished his last sip and spun the glass to say he was done. "Son of a bitch. They're alive," a rough voice from a man said as Hershel got to his feet and at the same time the door opened. Two men stepping inside side by side. "I'm Dave. That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony," the slimmer one of the two said as they sat down and I poured them a drink.

"Eat me, Dave," the fatter one who is called Tony said as he laughed at Dave. They seemed to not be from around here, judging by their accents and the way they showed themselves to be like.

"Hey, maybe someday I will," Dave joked seriously. "We met on I-95 coming out of Philly. Damn shit-show that was," Dave said as I grabbed two other glasses and placed them on the bar, to fill them for both me and Glenn.

"I'm Glenn. It's nice to meet some new people," Glenn said kindly, his voice was happy and pleased to meet these strangers. _I don't know...I won't judge them too quickly but...if they say anything I don't like or do anything...I won't hesitate. I have a family and group to protect._

"Rick Grimes," I tell them formally, ensuring they would know exactly who I was. _I may be telling the truth but...they'll never know. _I say as I passed Tony his drink. He took it without a thank you..._to be honest...neither of them thanked me..._

"How about you, pal? Have one?" Dave asked Hershel as he pointed to him, a cheesy smile was plastered on Dave's face and this made me look between the two.

"I just quit," Hershel informed them. I had to restrain myself from laughing or rolling my eyes. _Literally...just quit. If only they knew he had almost all of the bottle that we were sharing now...I think they would know that Hershel was in fact telling the truth._

"You've got a unique sense of timing, my friend," Dave said with a cheeky grin on his lips. _He seems like a good enough person but...not everything meets the eye...and I won't hesitate. I won't hesitate._

"His name's Hershel. He lost people today, a lot of them," I inform them, nodding and taking a small sip of the drink I had poured into my glass. The slight burn was oddly soothing but it helped calm my nerves a little. Gulping it down, I looked at them and saw Dave's face drop in sadness.

"I'm truly sorry to hear that. To better days and new friends...and to our dead may they be in a better place. Ah. Ah. Not bad, huh? I got it off a cop," Dave said as he raised his glass and tapped it once to the table, taking his shot and shaking his head. Taking my own shot, I never kept my eyes off of him and drank a small amount. He pulled out his gun when I noticed it, my heart pounding lightly but a little louder than before.

"I'm a cop," I inform him, telling them that I wasn't someone to mess with and that if they were going to joke about cops...then...they had better watch their mouths. _I worked hard for my job and I worked it as well as I could. No matter the situation I was in. I took a shot for that job and...it cost me the love of my wife._

"This one was already dead," Dave said with a small chuckle, Tony gave me a long and hard look, he was lazily sitting on the stool and watching me. _I don't like how Tony is looking at me and...they seem so...off...what is wrong with these two...what are they hiding?_

"You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia," I pointed out as I went to take another sip of my drink. Stopping when I saw Dave nod and replying to me.

"It feels like we're a long way from anywhere," Dave informed me which made me look at them slightly interested by why they would be here and if they were telling me the truth or a lie.

"Well, what drove you South?" I ask them curious as to what answer they'd give me. _God knows what these guys are up to but...something tells me that they're keeping things from me and that they don't exactly like us. That this is all a huge show._

"Well, I can tell you it wasn't the weather. I must've dropped 30 pounds, in sweat alone down here," Dave said as he wiped the sweat from his eyes, he did look still a little chubby but from the look of him...he seemed honest enough.

"I wish," Tony teased which made a small smile appear on my lips. _Well...you're certainly bigger than other people I've met Tony...but still...maybe they aren't so bad...but...I won't trust them completely._

"No, first it was D.C. I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed, we never even got close. We decided to get off the highways, into the sticks, keep hauling ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing," Dave told us, his eyes roaming to each of our faces and stopping to look down.

"One guy told us there was the coast guard sitting in the Gulf, sending ferries to the islands," Tony informed us which made me look to him, my head whipping to look at him as Hershel would slowly edge closer to me and look between the two new strangers.

"The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery running trains to the middle of the country- Kansas, Nebraska," Dave told us which made me ponder as to how many possible safe locations there were that...somehow could have got over run or possibly never even existed in the first place.

"Nebraska?" Glenn asked, sounding surprised that such a place could have somewhere safe for people to survive. _We all want survival. It's as if Glenn never knew that there were others that are smart enough to try and find some sort of shelter from these things._

"Low population, lots of guns," Tony said as we looked at him. _He always seems so...lazy...so...carefree. There's something...off about this guy...about the two of them._

"Kinda makes sense," Glenn said, nodding in agreement as I looked at him over my shoulder and cradled my drink in my glass.

"Ever been to Nebraska, kid?" Dave asked Glenn. "A reason they call 'em flyover states," Dave teased which made Tony laugh a wheezy like laugh. "How about you guys?" Dave asked as he looked at me and Hershel.

"Fort Benning, eventually," I tell them, sticking to an obvious route to us and one that could possibly be functioning.

"I hate to piss in your corn flakes, officer, but...we ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning. He said the place was overrun by lamebrains," Dave informed us as I took in this information and lowered my head in slight frustration..._please tell me they're lying or joking...why is there nowhere to call safe?!_

"Wait, fort Benning is gone? Are you for real?" Glenn asked slightly shocked and surprised by this new found information. _I just hope they're lying. I can't say that it was a wrong choice again...how am I going to tell Shane without him thinking I'm lying?_

"Sadly, I am. Oddly, the truth is there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks - doesn't grab a hold of you when you sleep," Dave told us sadly, his expression remorseful and...tired in some way.

"If you sleep," Tony added, gaining a small nod from both Glenn and Hershel. My eyes glued on the both of them as I looked between Tony and Dave. Curious as to whether or not they were telling me the truth.

"Yeah, it doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here. You holed up somewhere else?" Dave asked us as he looked around the bar. _He wants to know where the others are...as to how many we are and where exactly we hide...where we are protected._

"Not really," I tell them when I finally realize their game. _No way in hell are they getting information on where we are or anything else. They can't be trusted...not when we know close to nothing about them._

"Those your cars out front?" Dave asked as he pointed towards the entrance of the bar. His eyes glued to the three of us as though not to be suspicious as to where he was leading these questions to.

"Yeah. Why?" Glenn answered before I could, clenching my jaw shut, I looked to Glenn and gave him a slight glare. _I don't like where these questions are going. We don't know anything about them and we're giving them all our information. This doesn't seem right at all._

"We're living in ours. Those look kinda empty, clean. Where's all your gear?" Dave asked us, possibly unsure as to why we didn't have all of our equipment there and not be like them...and possibly every other survivor out there in this new world.

"We're with a larger group out scouting, thought we could use a drink," Hershel said which made me look at him slightly stunned. _Hershel! You just fucked up in the worst way possible! _

"A drink? Hershel, I thought you quit!" Dave said with a smile, catching what Hershel said a little earlier. _I told you! They're up to something and I don't like the feeling..._"Well, we're thinking of setting up around here. Is it is it safe?" Dave asked as he looked towards us, his eyes landing on Glenn.

"It can be, although I have killed a couple of walkers around here," Glenn answered honestly. Clenching my jaw, I fiddled a little with the now empty glass in my hands. My nerves were creeping up again with all these questions being asked about us.

"Walkers? That what you call them?" Dave asked slightly amused by our referral to those creatures outside which weren't human anymore. _Something is wrong...really wrong._

"Yeah," Glenn answered with a small laugh. Dave gave a nod of approval as he looked to the floor. _Really wrong...what is going on here?_

"That's good. I like that. I like that better than lamebrains," Dave said as he looked down and scratched behind his neck. My eyes drifting towards the two who had intruded our get up and go moment earlier.

"More succinct," Tony said using fancy words for someone with his appearance. _No judging just...I don't like the vibe I get from Tony and the way he looks at us...it worries me a little and the way Dave is wriggling his way into answers is starting to infuriate me..._

"Okay, Tony went to college," Dave pointed out which made me want to roll my eyes. _I couldn't care less if Tony went to college or if he went to hell. Right now...we're nothing like our past lives. This world is about survival and about searching for that way to get back to how we were._

"Two years," Tony told us as he looked between me, Hershel and Glenn. _Still couldn't care less. What difference does anything make now in this walker infested world?_

"So what, so what, you guys set up on the outskirts or something? That new development?" Dave tried to push further with his questions, trying to get a more specific place and possibly to get to wherever our people were.

"Trailer park or something?" Tony asked as he got up from his seat and walked towards a wall. "A farm?" he asked which made my body tense..._this isn't right...at all...how could they know?_

"Old McDonald had a farm..." Dave sang as he looked to see Tony stop at the wall and unzip his pants. "You got a farm?" Dave asked us as I looked between the rest of them. _They know...they know we live on a farm..._

"E-i-e-i-o," Tony continued lazily as he rested his arm against the wall and pissed on the ground. My eyebrow raised at how public this place was and how rude it was. _Seems to me the world really has gone to shit...quite litterally._

"Is it safe? It's gotta be. You got food, water?" Dave asked as he leaned closer to look directly at us, as though he was close to digging a new found treasure. _No way am I telling them where my family are..._

"You got cooze? Ain't had a piece of ass in weeks," Tony said which made my nostrils flare a little. _This is really wrong...no way in hell am I letting this man anywhere near my wife or daughter...wait..._

"Listen, pardon my friend. City kids they got no tact. No disrespect. So listen, Glenn-" Dave said in respect of his companion, he went to ask the most honest and kind one in our group for more answers. _He knows me or Hershel won't answer him...especially not after what Tony just said._

"We've said enough," I tell him after I gave Glenn a look to say not to answer anything anymore. It must have been something in my eyes because Glenn pursed his lips and looked away. Dave looked at me a little stunned.

"Well, hang on a second. This farm it sounds pretty sweet. Don't it sound sweet, Tony?" Dave asked Tony who had finally finished his business and looked towards us. Walking to stand beside Dave and held his gun in his hand.

"Yeah, real sweet," Tony agreed. _I don't like this...not at all..._

"How about a little Southern hospitality? We got some buddies back at camp, been having a real hard time. I don't see why you can't make room for a few more. We can pool our resources, our manpower," Dave tried to negotiate but we were having non of it. _I don't like the way they refered to women, especially not after what my daughter almost went through._

"Look, I'm sorry. That's not an option," I tell them, the two of them exchanged glances and Dave gave me a surprised and slightly incredulous look.

"Doesn't sound like it'd be a problem," Dave tried to reason again but we were having non of it. _I won't hesitate and I don't trust them. We know nothing about these people and they know too much about us already._

"I'm sorry. We can't," Hershel told them politely.

"We can't take in any more," I agreed with him, trying to point out that no matter how much they'd try it wouldn't and couldn't work.

"You guys are something else. I thought...I thought we were friends. We got people we gotta look out for too," Dave told us as he gave a nervous laugh and looked away. When he looked up he seemed honest on the most part but...I didn't trust him.

"We don't know anything about you," I tell them and Dave looks at me sadly. _He plays a good role of the level-__headed liar._

"No, that's true. You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we've had to go through out there, the things we've had to do. I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself. Am I right? 'Cause ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left of this world. We're all the same. So come on, let's let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other," he told us sadly during the beginning and then happily towards the end.

"That's not gonna happen," I stay true to my thoughts and gut feeling. _I don't trust they're telling me the full truth. I don't like the way they present themselves and how they refer to women...like some...sacks of meat to play with..._

"Rick this is bullshit," Tony said angered and exasperated. Not pleased to my disapproval. _Well fuck you...you dirty pig. Wanting women just for sex. Fuck you if you think I'm letting you anywhere near my family and anywhere near my group on the farm._

"Calm down," I growled at him, unhappy with his attitude and not calm like outburst when I denied him the joy of joining us at the farm.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Don't _ever_ tell me to calm down! I'll shoot you three assholes in the head and take your damn farm!" Tony threatened outraged by my authority to tell him to calm down. My police, protector and fatherly instincts came in as I stood up to face Tony and do whatever I had to do in order to protect the ones I loved.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Relax. Take it easy. Nobody's killing anybody. Nobody's shooting anybody. Right, Rick?" Dave said as he pat my chest, calming us both down and jumping over the bar. My hand instinctively went to my gun, as did Tony's to his own gun. "Look," Dave said as he pulled out his gun.

"We're just friends having a drink. That's all," Dave told us as he placed the gun on the tabletop. "Now where's the good stuff, huh? Good stuff, good stuff, good stuff. Let's see," Dave said as he bent over to grab something. My hand rapidly went to my gun, knowing that some bars kept guns under the desk and that he had one not far from his hand.

"Hey, look at that. That'll work. You gotta understand we can't stay out there. You know what it's like," Dave said as he pulled up a bottle of whisky, showing it me and slowly making me move my hand away from my gun. Away from my holster.

"Yeah, I do...but the farm is too crowded as is. I'm sorry. You'll have to keep looking," I tried to apologize as nicely as I could, telling them things as how it had to be. This made Dave shake his head as he filled the glass with whisky.

"Keep looking. Where do you suggest we do that?" Dave asked as he looked up at me, wanting some answers and possibly ones that he knew were what he wanted to hear. Ones that would appease him.

"I don't know. I hear Nebraska's nice," I say trying to encourage them to get as far away from Georgia as they could. As far away from us and to not cause any of us any harm.

"Nebraska. This guy," Dave laughed and in lightning speed, I saw him reach for his gun and shot him quickly in the head. Turning around quickly, I shot Tony before he could shoot me directly in the shoulder. Then in the pelvis. My lips twitching and eyes locked on Tony. Stepping up to him, I shot Tony once more in the head and let his body drop to the floor. Hershel and Glenn stood at either side of me as I slipped my gun back into my holster.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Alright...so...Kat isn't talking too much in this chapter but...I think it was important to show how there is struggle for all the family. How they all truly care and how they would do anything for each other no matter the situation. Now...there are possible...other character POV's in later chapter. NO SPOILERS! But...I will be using NPOV so that we can see things that...other characters may not! So...watch out for that!<strong>

**5 reviews for this chapter please! Tell me what you thought and if you liked it! What would you like to see? Now...time to answer some reviews!**

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><p><strong>Liaskane: Well...yeah...Shane hit her more or less by accident...but still yeah...he was a dick. As for Daryl...he kind of already knows but...his reaction won't be so big because well...he doesn't love her just yet...<strong>

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><p><strong>redangel2463: Yeah...Shane is a little bit of a jerk in my story. Erm...I don't know...Kat isn't the type of character to snap on others. She's more of a...holds in emotions until it gets too overwhelming and then HAS to let go. Especially to those she trusts and can talk to about it without feeling too emotional about it. So...not sure. I will though...let her have a snap at someone...not telling you who!<strong>

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Love you too! I knew it was you! Don't worry! Yes...Kat is a very selfless character. She's just like that...and I enjoy playing her out like that. Makes her seem more humane than others but...she'll have her moments believe me. This was one of them where she loses hope. She's the one that keeps the hope alive, that tries to keep going and never look negatively at things but...she is human. She gets hurt and this is sadly...one of those moments.<strong>

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><p><strong>Much love!<strong>

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	14. Chapter 14: Shock

Chapter 14: Shock

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~2 years ago~_

_I was sat down beside Carl. It had been a hard day for the both of us. Seeing as what we had been through only a few hours ago. Still...dad was proud and slightly disappointed. Mom still couldn't decide how she felt about it. Carl was curled up in his bed. _

_"Hey..." I say softly as I sat down beside him, on top of his covers and gently moved his hair away from his eyes. "I know it's been a rough day but...I'm here and...I'm fine. How are you?" I asked him trying to reassure him that I was all right._

_"I'm okay...but...that was scary Kat. Please don't do something like that again," Carl pleaded and I just sigh. Looking down, I saw him sit up to look at me. His bright blues were startingly bright and filled with worry towards me._

_"Carl...I can't promise that. You're my baby brother. I'll protect you and save you. You know that right?" I asked him hopeful that he would understand why I couldn't promise him this. _

_"Yeah...I do..." he sighed and looked away. His eyes not looking up at me. Sighing, I would caress his face and try to sooth him this way._

_"I'll protect you...always...now that...is a promise," I tell him and he just looked up at me with a sad but understanding smile. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, he cuddled up to me in a hug and we laid like that for a while._

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><p><strong>Present day...RPOV<strong>

"Holy shit," Glenn said as he looked down at the asshole I had just shot. Tony's body was now flat on the floor and Glenn looked a little pale.

"You all right?" I asked him, concerned of his sudden colour change. _He must be shocked about what just happened...this might be the first murder he possibly saw and...well...it's never easy._

"Yeah," Glenn agreed, answering my question of concern quickly. His voice seemed stunned and slightly shocked. _I hope he gets over this as quickly as it actually happened._

"Hershel?" I asked him as we all looked between each other, a small nod of the head was exchanged between all of us. Glenn was panting at the turn of events that had occured. _Shame he had to see this happen..._

"Let's head back," Hershel told us as we all turned to walk out the door but soon we heard and saw a car come across. The lights shining and reflecting through the glass. The car approached and suddenly stopped.

"Car. Car. Get down," I ordered the others as we all slowed down and crouched, slipping to a sitting position against the walls near the windows. Staying silent as I pulled out my gun, keeping the other two quiet and calm as best as I could.

The doors open and close shut, footsteps edging closer and further away as time passed.

"Dave? Tony? They said over here?" One man spoke, his voice ringing out to all of us to hear but whispering to his companion.

"Yeah," the other said.

"I'm telling you, man, I heard shots," a third man confimed as we all looked at each other a little panicked, Glenn held on tightly to his shotgun and looked at me sightly panicked.

"I saw roamers two streets over. Might be more around here," the second man whispered to the other man. My heart pounding in my chest and thoughts of my family, my group and my safety running through my mind in continuous circles.

"It's hot. We gotta get out of here," the first man said sounding panicked. Our own panick was shown as we would look at each other wide eyed. "Dave! Tony!" the man tried to call out.

"Shut up, you idiot! You wanna attract 'em? Just stick close. We're gonna find 'em," the second man said as we looked around a little shocked. _If they find us...we could be fucked._

"Dude, he said to stay close. Tony," the third man said as we looked around. Worried and shutting our eyes or widening them while footsteps sounded closer to us, walking past and not turning back.

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"They should've been back by now," I heard Carl say as I lead him towards the table, to eat and prepare for bed. There were nights I would sleep beside him but these nights he prefered me sleeping next to him on the bed, cuddled up like we normally did. We had been playing games, reading books and doing studdies together.

"Yeah. They just got holed up somewhere. We'll we'll head out first thing in the morning. Thank you," Shane said and acted politely, sitting down to eat at the head of the table, placing food on his plate as I helped pick out some things for Carl.

"You're welcome," Patricia answered as we all sat down and they were handing out food. Placing them on our plates and making me gurgle and drool over such good, fresh food. My state was soon disappeared as Shane spoke up to us.

"Carl, Kat, I want you to keep your heads up, okay? Your old man, he's the toughest son of a-" Shane was saying to us as we all sat down for a meal, all but mom and Daryl.

"No cussing in the house," Patricia scolded as she was placing food on our plates, this made me smirk a little at the two and shake my head. Shane just looked at her a little worried. _He knows he's on a very thin line right now. He's already crossed it but...he might have a chance._

"Sorry," Shane said politely as he looked at all of us and smirk. Seeing Dale give Shane a look and Shane's smirk was wipped off his face.

"I'm surprised you haven't been kicked out of the house yet Kat...you're always swearing," Carl said softly to me but others noticed it and noticed my slight blush. Looking at Carl I giggled and messed up his hair a little. _Silly thing...I still love him._

"Lori, dinner," Carol spoke up towards the hallway but there was no response.

"She's not in there," Maggie spoke as she turned to look at Carol who went in search for my mother. _What? Where could she be? I mean...come on mom was hear earlier...where could she have disappeared off to?_

"Where is she?" I ask a little panicked. _Where is mom? Where could she have gone? Is she all right? Did...please God...don't let her have gone after dad and the others. If she has...fuck...where is she?!_

"Carl, Kat...when's the last time you saw your mom?" Shane asked as he looked between the two of us. His eyes slightly mad and curious as his eyes studdied us. _As if he's fucking asking us this question like this!_

"This afternoon," Carl answered him quickly, straight to the point and then looked up at me. His blue eyes wide and filled with wonder. _He's just as curious as I am..._

"Yeah..." I agree as I nod and looked between them all. Some of them wide eyed, some of them tried to keep calm. _Please tell me my mom is all right...that she's safe and not trying to get herself killed..._

"She was worried about Rick, asked me to look in on Carl and Kat," Andrea spoke up which made my eyes widen in shock and fear. _Fuck...she went after him?!_

"She went after them?" I asked shocked and horrorfied that my mom would run out like that. _Please tell me she didn't fucking do that! Please mother fucking god! Please! _

"She didn't say that," Andrea tried to comfort us, Shane got up and I followed his lead. Getting up, we all decided to have a search for mom.

"Nobody panic. Gonna be around here somewhere," Shane said as we all began to seach for mom, including Carl and I told him not to force himself, that the stitches still need to heal and that mom would be all right.

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Why won't they leave?" Glenn whispered to us and this made me look at him stunned he would ask this. _The men still haven't left and all Glenn can ask is why they won't leave?!_

"Would you?" Hershel whispered back at Glenn as we got together in a huddle after waiting a few minutes for the men to search other buildings first.

"We can't sit here any longer. Let's head out the back and make a run to the car," I instructed and they agreed, just as we were about to leave and head towards the car, there were gun fire.

"What happened?" one of the men asked as they all met up together, discussing what had happened and what had alarmed them.

"Roamers, I nailed 'em," the other answered as three men got together to talk about their events in the different buildings.

"They disappeared but their car's still there," another pointed out as they started jogging towards an area that I wasn't going to risk peeking to see if they were closer than normal.

"I cleared those buildings. You guys get this one?" one of them asked the others. Their conversation kept me on edge as I gripped onto my gun. Praying to myself that all would be fine and that we wouldn't get noticed.

"No," one of the men answered as they all conversed about their situation and safety.

"Me neither," the third answered as they all got caught up on what was happening to each other while they were away.

"We're looking for Dave and Tony and no one checks the damn bar?" the second man said as they exchanged thoughts about where their...'friends' would be. Footsteps began to approach and I readied myself to shoot at them.

"What?" the third man asked one of them confused as Glenn quickly pushed the door shut and pressed his back to it. Worry and surprised pumped through my veins as these men got surprised by Glenn's actions.

"Someone pushed it shut. There's someone in there," said the second man as they tried to open the door again but Glenn kept it shut and they slowly backed away from the door. Unsure of what was hidden behind it. "Yo, is someone in there? Yo, if someone's in there, we don't want no trouble. We're just looking for our friends," the voice called to us but we just stayed silent, looking towards each other in shock and uncertainty.

"What do we do? Bum rush the door?" one of the men asked as they gathered around again.

"No, we don't know how many are there. Just relax," the second man said as he looked to the others in his group, his tone shushed and calm. "We don't want any trouble. We're just looking for our friends. If something happened, tell us. This place is crawling with corpses. If you can help us not get killed, I'd appreciate it," one of them tried to get us to speak up.

"Dude, you're bugging. I'm telling you nobody's in there," one of the other men said confused and slightly irritated about the situation. _Actually...there are people in here and well...you ain't coming inside any time soon..._

"Someone guard the door. If they're in there, they might know where Dave and Tony are," one of them said as they began to retreat. Footsteps departing across the floor as their feet dragged along the ground.

"They drew on us!" I declared, shouting it out and making the others look at me surprised, shocked, worried and the footsteps approach once more.

"Dave and Tony in there? They alive?" the second man asked me which made me swipe under my brow of the consation I was creating from tension, stress and pressure I found upon myself.

"No," I answered truthfully. Bluntly. _So be it..._

"They killed Dave and Tony," the second man said as we all looked towards each other, shocked and worried as to what was going to go down.

"Come on, man, let's go," the first man said wanting nothing more for them to leave. _Do as this man say_s _and leave us alone...please._

"No, I'm not leaving, I'm not telling Jane. I'm not gonna go back and tell them that Dave and Tony got shot by some assholes in a bar," the second man said angered, making us all looked at each other, panting and our hearts pounding in either fear or adrenaline...or both.

"Your friends drew on us! They gave us no choice! I'm sure we've all lost enough people, done things we wish we didn't have to, but it's like that now. You know that! So let's just chalk this up to what it was...wrong place, wrong-" I was cut off when a shotgun fired. "Get outta here! Go!" I shouted to the other two as they scrambled to get away, shooting at the others and getting to my feet when I would shoot. Guns firing, glass shattering made me worry but I kept fighting.

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Walking the whole house and site of the farm we couldn't find any trace of my mom. "We can't find mom," I say as Carol and I walked towards Daryl who was building a fire by his tent.

"And the others aren't back yet either," Carol pointed out as we stopped beside him. He looked up at us with slightly unbothered eyes from the information we had just given him. _Why is he just...sitting around and doing nothing?_

"Yeah. That dumb bitch must've gone off looking for 'em," Daryl said, insulting my mom and insinuating my mom would go out there and leave me and Carl alone.

"Watch your words! That's my mother you're talking about," I grolwed at him, unhappy with his choice of words and warning him not to say that about my mom. Especially not with me present.

"What?" Carol asked him stunned, her brows furrowed as I saw something in her drop, like a tonne of bricks just smashed her and showed her the truth. _Wait...does she think he's telling the truth? If he is...how does he know?!_

"Yeah, she asked me to go. I told her I was done being an errand boy," Daryl said which made my furrowed brows relax in realization and slight worry. _Oh my god...mom is out there and looking for dad..._

"And you didn't say anything? That's my mother out there you asshole," I growlewd at him, wanting nothing more than to shove him and punch his face in. _I thought I trusted him! I thought he...cared. Seems to me he's still the same dick that almost tried to kill my dad._

"She's not at the barn," Shane told us as he got closer, holding onto Carl to my side and gently letting him go as I looked to those who were getting closer to us.

"I checked the yards," T-Dog informed us as we all huddled together in a huge group.

"Well, where is she?" Carl asked a little worried with all of this information. _Oh shit...how am I going to explain this without breaking his little heart?_

"She asked Daryl to go into town. Must've gone herself," I tell Carl sadly, revealing what I had found out with Daryl and Carol. This was when I saw the realization and worry flash across Carl's small and innocent face.

"Mom," Carl said, covering his mouth as not to cry and turned to walk away. Leaving us and heading off in the distance in a hurry. My heart dropped and I felt nothing more than overwhelming sadness and the need to go after him.

"Hey. Carl," I said softly, trying to reach my hand out and stop him. Turning to Shane and the others, I spke. "You look out for my mom and I'll look after my brother. Make sure she and my dad get back to us," I tell them, giving them an order that had to be done. No excuses. "Carl!" I shouted, turning my back on the others and jogging after Carl's retreating form. "Hey..." I said as I caught up to him, slowing down and walking behind him.

"Mom...dad...they're out there and..." Carl cried out as I turned him to look at me, crouching down and looking him in the eyes. He looked worried, about to breakdown and afraid. _My baby brother...my sweet...baby brother._

"I know...but guess what?" I asked him, my eyes looking down at his feet and then back up at his. Giving him a small but sad smile, keeping his arms in my hands and looking up at him.

"What?" Carl asked me, his baby blues were curious and wide, a twinkle in them as the moonlight reflected in them. _He has so much of dad and mom in him...I can see it and he's afriad but curious._

"We still have each other...anyway...I have hope that they'll come back to us. You need to keep that faith alive too. They're strong, we know that and...they'll be fine. I know it," I tell him, reassuring him that our mom and dad would come back to us. _I know they're fine. I can feel it._

"I love you Kat," Carl said as he attacked me in a hug, I almost fell back but held my stance and held him tightly to me. My eyes shutting at these words and the comfort of Carl's hug.

"I love you too Carl," I answer him truthfully, feeling my heart swell at the thought of how much I loved my baby brother. _He's my best friend and my blood. So innocent and young...so...unsafe._ "You know I'll protect you...no matter what...right?" I asked him keeping my eyes locked on his as I slowly pulled us away to look into each others eyes. My tone soft and gentle, as to reassure him that I was here to stay and care for him.

"Yeah...it's what you do...you're my sister," Carl informs me and I giggle softly, a smile was playing on the corner of his lips as his eyes connected to look at mine. _When did he figure this out?_

"That's right. And don't you forget it," I answered with a small smirk of my own, getting back onto my two feet and straightening up, I took Carl's hand in mine. We walked off into the house and decided to teach him how to clean silent weapons.

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

My breathing heavy and heart pounding against my ribs. "Hey! We all know this is not gonna end well! There's nothing in it for any of us! You guys just...just back off, no one else gets hurt!" I shout out but this was when I heard gun shots happen from where Glenn had ran off to. "Glenn! Glenn!" I shouted, worried if he was still alive and breathing.

"I-I'm all right. I'm all right," Glenn replied, making me sweat more than I need to and sigh in relief. _That fucking God he's all right. Don't know what I'd do without him..._

"I'll hold 'em here. You cover Glenn. See if you can make it to your car. Tell him tell him to pull up back. We'll run for it, get the hell out of here," I order Hershel, my voice clear and slow as Hershel gave me a nod, looking to me then toward where Glenn had disappeared to.

"You want me to cover Glenn?" Hershel asked as though it was either a surprise or a repeat of what he had to do. _God knows with this man...he's more...confusing than Shane or even my daughter!_

"You missed all that gun training. It could've come in handy now," I tell him kind of saddned he didn't do it in the first place. _It would have been super handy for now and possible things in the future..._

"Nah, I can shoot. I just don't like to," Hershel told me as he checked his ammunition, looking up at me he gave me a quick and firm side ways nod. As though to tell me something I hadn't known which...in truth did shock me slightly about Hershel. _Who knew?_

"What happened?" I called after, getting behind Hershel when I heard a set of fires being shot and ran to see what had been happening from where the two were. Seeing only Hershel and no Glenn...

"He fired. He must've hit Glenn. He's behind the dumpster. Doesn't look like he's moving," Hershel whispered as we looked out towards a small patch of lawn, seeing a man squirming and crying about being shot.

"You hit? Are you hit?" I asked as I raised two guns, walking close to the wall and checking for anyone to come over to scare us or kill us. Getting closer to Glenn with every step I took towards him.

"No. No," Glenn told me, he was panting behind a dumpster and was worried. His eyes shutting as he spoke, his grip on the gun made his knuckles as white as paper and his face was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"It's all right. The car's right there," I told Glenn as he gave me as small 'okay' in agreement and we looked towards the distance. Towards our ticket out of here. "We're almost home. You good?" I asked him to reasure myself that he was as good as he could be in a time like this.

"I'm good," Glenn reassured me as I told them to get ready to move again. When I sneaked in front, the groaning continued and there was sudden gunshots. Telling them to get back we had to find a way to the truck. Eventually they left, leaving a screaming member of their group behind to die.

The one Hershel had shot was getting eaten by walkers, sneaking towards the truck, my heart stopped and I felt a sudden sadness. It was a boy, stuck to a fence and unable to survive with this cercumstance. Thinking of my children, I knew I had to save this boy and get him to safety. For a chance to keep living and fighting. We argued, the tension was high as walkers came strolling closer and we were losing time.

Pulling the boy's leg from the fence, we dragged him the the back of the truck and headed back. The boy passed out, tying him up and blindfolding him so that he wouldn't see anything. He was still a possible threat considering his history and those he surrounded himself with. I did the right thing...

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

Seeing Shane's car pull up, I nudged Carl and we made our way towards it. Mom came out of the car with a cloth to her head, her hair a mess and she looked..."God, are you all right? What happened?" I asked mom concerned as I took her elbows into my hands.

"I was in an accident. I'm fine, I'm fine baby girl," mom reassured us all and me the most. My eyes wide as I saw her wounds and cuts. _Fuck...what the hell was she thinking?!_

"She was attacked," Shane informed us as he got to mom's side, I looked at him unsure of what this was meant to mean. _I don't like the look in his eyes..._with this thought, I gripped my mom's elbow a little tighter. Giving Shane a small glare that he shouldn't take another step closer.

"I really am," mom tried to explain her free hand reaching up to cup my cheek. Her eyes warm and kind. _She's trying to not make me worry about her..._ "Where's Rick?" mom asked as she looked to the others. "Where's your father?" mom asked with panick in her voice, no one answered and neither did I as she looked at me. "They're not back? Where are they?" mom asked as I slowly let her go, her eyes searching the rest of us. Wide eyed and scared.

"Look, I had to get you back here," Shane tried to reason as he stepped closer to mom, my grip lessoning as I saw him come closer. Mom's eyes grew wide with anger and...distrust. Like she had been lied to...

"You asshole," mom growled as she went to hit Shane but he blocked her and held her wrists. 'Lori' he said as he tried to get her attention, but mom was having non of it. "He's my husband," mom reminded her shouting at him and angered that he wasn't here.

"Lori, I will go after him. I will find him. Hey! Now look, first things first I gotta I gotta look after you. I gotta make sure the baby's all right, okay?" Shane blurted out to the whole group, with a firm push to get mom away from him. I knew some had found out, other than myself.

_Glenn...dad...Shane...Hershel...Maggie...others...not exactly. Oh my God...Shane lied to mom and now told their secret. Dad and mom won't be happy about this...mom doesn't look happy at all...instead she looks shocked and angered._

"You're having a baby? Why didn't you tell me?" Carl asked which made mom unsure of what to say. Carl pushing forwards to talk to mom and me, unsure that I knew I gave him a look that showed him I knew. He frowned and looked down, mom unable to speak.

"Come on. Let's make sure you're all right," Dale suggested as he gave a gesture that mom should come and a look to me to say that I should come with. Mom looked at Carl and we followed. Placing my hand on mom's back, I gently guided her towards the house, leaving Shane there to be alone.

"Come on," I encourage her as we walked away, Carl beside me but a little in front as to keep his anger of not knowing up. _I feel bad...I feel like I should have told him but...it wasn't my secret to tell...it was mom and dads._

"Thank you," mom said as Dale handed her a wet warm cloth and sat down beside us. "I am so sorry that I left without telling either of you," mom said sadly as she looked to each of us on either side of her seat.

"It's okay. I wasn't scared. I had Kat to keep me safe and sane," Carl said which made mom look at me, stroking my back as to say I did a good job and smiled. "When's dad getting back?" Carl asked mom and me slightly sad.

"Let's hope soon," I say and this makes mom and Carl nod at me. All of us huddled, looks of understanding plasterd on our faces as we looked to each other. _We may have our bad days and sad moments but...we pull together and care for each other as a family. As a family should._

"I wanna be there when you tell him about the baby," Carl explained as he looked to mom and she just sighs, looking away to me and then to the ground. Her hand went to stroke Carl's back and the other fiddled with the cloth in her hands.

"Oh, love, he already knows. We were just trying to find the right time to tell you," she explained as best as she could, getting him up to speed on the situation and what others knew. Dale and Andrea sat beside us, silent and observing us at one of our most vulnerable moments.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Carl asked curiously. _Shame we don't have the tools anymore or electricity to know anymore Carl...I remember when mom and dad would come home with a new picture of you and show it to me. All so...happy and excited to have a little boy come into our family._

"Well, we won't know that until it's born," mom answered him sadly, both me and mom exchanged a look of understanding as to why we wouldn't know. _Wait...does Carl know about sex? Shit..._

"Will I be able to feel it?" Carl asked curious as he placed his hand on her stomach, this made me smile at him sadly. _So young...so innocent. If only he knew and I get the feeling it will be soon..._

"Not for a while. You must have a lot of questions, huh?" mom said as she looked at Carl and his hand on her stomach, trying to feel the baby and getting nothing from it. "We never had the talk. I guess we forgot," she said as she looked to Dale and Andrea.

"Don't look at me. That's your father's job," Dale said as he looked to Carl who was looking to the elder man for answers. This made me giggle and look down. Mom smiling at me as she nudged me playfully, the two of us giggling softly at the innocence my brother had and that we were in this situation right now without dad.

"If the baby's a girl, can we name her Sophia?" Carl asked us politely as I looked at him sad. My eyes becoming glassy and my eyes looked down at the floor, to my hands that clasped each other more tightly than they normally did.

"Hey, kids," Shane called out to us as he leaned against the door. My jaw clenching as I could still feel the sting everytime he was in close enough proximity. "Hey...I'm sorry, bud. Okay? I thought you knew," Shane appologized to Carl as Carl turned to look at Shane and Dale stood up on his feet to Shane's arrival.

"Big brother Carl. Pretty cool, huh?" Carl teased as he flicked dad's hat that was now his, a proud smile on Carls face and a small smile on the corner of my lips. _If only I was like him when I found out mom was pregnant with Carl but...I was still young and unsure of what the world was like..._

"I say that's very cool," Shane agreed with a small laugh, mom had her back to Shane and I had mine tilting slightly as to be able to look at Carl. His happiness made me happy. _As long as he is safe...I am happy. As long as he is happy...so am I. He doesn't deserve any pain...or suffering. _

"I say try being the big sister of both..." I teased at Carl which made Dale, Andrea, mom, Carl and Shane look at me. Carl pondered the thought for a moment and smirked up at me.

"True...that's way cooler," he agreed which made us all laugh softly. _Silly brother...but yes...cooler but a lot to deal with. Especially in times like this. But I will always look after you...the baby and our parents. Always._

"You-...you mind if I talk to your mom a sec?" Shane asked as he looked to the two of us, coming in closer as he looked towards us. Mom looked exhaused and not wanting to talk, her head low and her hair covering what I could see of her face.

"How about a little later after she's had some rest?" I suggest a little angered, trying to keep my voice level and not expose my true thoughts towards the asshole leaning against the door frame. _Fuck you Shane...you lied in order to get my mom back to us._

"Lori, I had to get you back here. You wouldn't have come otherwise. How about you-...how about you just hear me out, please?" Shane pleaded to mom as I looked to her, placing my hand on her knee I looked to comfort her and she just squeezed my hand tightly but then slowly let go. Telling me she was fine with it.

"It's okay," Carl said as she looked to me and stroked circles into Carl's back. Indicating that she would be fine and Carl looked at me with soft eyes. _God...why does he do that. He knows it always works on me. Fuck..._

"Okay," I agree when I see Carl's firm but soft eyes look at me. Right into my soul and calming me down enough to allow this to happen. Getting up, I held my hand out to Carl but saw mom look up at me. Then she quickly looked down, slight sadness and fear were in her eyes. I saw it.

"Give me a minute," mom said as she didn't look at us, Shane reached out and patted Carl's shoulder before he gave me a small smile and nod to the head. Taking Carl's hand I led him towards his room and left them. Shane thanking us as we left to do some reading before bed.

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><p>"How is she?" I asked both Maggie and Patricia as I walked in to see a still state frozen Beth on the bed. Morning finally came. Carl and I had spent the whole night talking about the past, about what it was like. The food we missed, the people we missed, the things that we would do and the way we used to live. Carl was still asleep when I went to check up on Beth.<p>

"Dehydrated. I'll set up an I.V...best I can do without Hershel," Paticia said as she pat Beth kindly, leaving both me and Maggie alone with Beth. Maggie hadn't laid her eyes off of Beth. Her face sad and her eyes glued to the pale, frozen, wide eyed sister that laid on the bed. The bed creaking as I sat down on the opposite side, looking down at Beth and then back up at Maggie.

"Hey. Can I get you anything?" I asked Maggie saddened that she was in this situation. _God...is this what would I be like if I was here instead of searching for Sophia when Carl was shot? _A shiver ran down my spine as I thought of it. Maggie sat closer to Beth's head, holding onto her hand and staring down at Beth's blank face.

"Nah, I just wish my dad was here," Maggie admits with sadness in her eyes as she briefly looked up at me. _Yes...I would definately be like this...or worse. Possibly worse. God...I hope something like this doesn't happen again to anyone else. Pain is never a good feeling. Or worry._

"She'll be okay. You just need to be strong for her," I say as I remembered the time Carl was shot, or when we believed dad had died. _I always kept strong. It was something I was taught from both parents. That...and to always keep hope alive. Even when I feel it isn't going to get better, hope can keep one going and my hope is to always be alive._

"I was just reminding her about...never mind," Maggie was about to say, her voice deep and sad as she spoke. As though she was close to tears and it made me frown slightly.

"No no. I- I'd love to hear," I tell her and try to convince her to tell me. A smile on my face and my eyes kind as I looked to her. _Sometimes story are to be told and to be heard. Even if we don't want to hear them because...they show us who we once were and what the world was like before this horror._

"My dad would die if he heard this," Maggie said with a big smile, a small giggle escaping her lips as she looked down at Beth and would caress Beth's face. "My first summer back from college, I drove home, dumped my stuff off, went straight out to the stable for a ride. My family comes back from church and Beth grabs my things and starts unpacking my stuff upstairs," Maggie would say with a smile on her face, looking up at me from time to time and back down at her sister.

"That's sweet," I tell her, reminding me of Carl when he was younger and always want to help me. _I think the only reason he would always help me unpack my things was because I would always buy him a new toy he wanted when I would return for the weekends. _

"Yeah, until this one here starts rifling through my backpack. She finds this little plastic container with these pink and green candies inside. She didn't even know I was on the pill. She was so freaked out by the idea of me, and boys and sex, she runs outside and...chucks them in the duck pond. And I ride up, I see this, I'm screaming. She's crying and Shawn runs outside, thinks one of us is drowning," Maggie tells me with a small giggle. Remembering their past and what life was like back then.

"Soon as he figures out what's going on, the jerk busts out laughing so loud that my horse rears up and gets mud all over the three of us. My dad comes out, 'what the heck's goin' on out here?!' And she turns around, bats her eyelids and says, 'we're just swimming, daddy.' In her Sunday dress, all covered in snot and mud," Maggie tells me, her nose sniffling and her eyes close to tears as she spoke.

"My dad and Glenn will get your dad back," I reassure her, knowing that they would be back. _Keep hope alive. Keep strong. _I repeated to myself as I spoke. _It's what dad would want me to say and I know that it's what I should say. _Maggie sniffed and gave me a slow nod.

"Glenn's a good guy," she said as she looked up at me. I already knew about their interation in the pharmasy as I could smell that...sex coated smell covering the both of them. Their looks, the way they would speak to each other and how they would present themselves to each other. It was obvious they were together.

"Yeah. He is," I agree, remembering all the times he looked out for me and my family. _We owe him a great debt. He has always kept me, my dad and my family safe. He knows how to care for himself and for others. _

"Kat?" I heard a small voice say as both me and Maggie stared at each other. Looking to where the voice came from, I smiled and saw Carl wipe some of the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey Chip. What are you doing up so early?" I asked him. He was dressed, ready and ate for the day. There was the shine of milk covering his mouth which made me giggle. Doing the gesture he understood what I meant and did it with a small blush colouring his cheeks.

Giggling we looked at the now blushed and bashful Carl. "Can we go play outside?" he asked me as he looked to me. Maggie looked between the two of us, before looking back down at Beth. Looking to Beth, I glaced back at Carl and smiled.

"Sure," I agreed as I got up and gave a small nod to Maggie. As we left, I saw mom at the table and gave her a small smile. Walking out, me and Carl played games outside, from board games to games involving our environment and exploring what it's like to be on a farm.

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><p>Suddenly there was a car pulling up to park outside the house. The engine stopping and the familiar figures of Glenn, Hershel and dad exit the car. "Dad!" Carl screamed as he ran towards him and I ran closely.<p>

"You're okay," I said with relief as the two of us engufled him in a hug. Dad kissing the top of our heads as he held us to him. _Thank God he's safe. I knew he would be back._

"Patricia, prepare the shed for surgery," Hershel said as mom hugged dad. Maggie ran out to hug Glenn, forgetting her father and Hershel looked slightly stunned. Hershel ignored the pain that was evident and headed towards the house.

"Are you hurt?" mom asked as she searched dad for anything that could be fatal or simple enough to call a wound. The two of them looking to each other as I held Carl to me, the four of us making a circle as dad inspected mom.

"No, but what happened to you?" dad asked as he cupped the side of her face, looking into her eyes and spotting all the cuts mom had from the accident. Glancing to Carl he looked up and watched our parents.

"I was in a car accident," mom explained not looking dad in the eyes. _Good thing we found her and brought her back. Who knows what could have happened..._

"Accident? How?" dad asked confused as he looked between us. Dad let go of mom's face and looked to her for answers.

"I went looking for you," mom admited as she looked away. Slight shame tinting her eyes but anger was still hidden from what Shane did. _What could Shane have said to mom while we were reading?_

"Snuck out on her own. Brought her back," Shane said as he got closer, mom looked away and dad looked towards Shane. A look crossed dad's face that showed me he knew about what happened but...it was hard to read what was going through dad's mind in that very moment.

"Are you crazy? You could've-" dad went to say as he looked to mom, his face showing anger and concern for mom. _We're all crazy. We're living in a fucking world of flesh eating human freaks trying to kill us! Of course we worry and do stupid things for the ones we love!_

"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog said which brought our attention towards a figure who was in the back of the car. All of us began to gather around the car and dad stood there slightly unsure of how to respond.

"That's Randall," Glenn explained as I took a few steps closer towards the car, keeping Carl back and examining who was sat in the back. As I got closer, his face became more clearer and this was when I noticed the key thing. Flashbacks of the men who tried to rape me in the woods flashed in my head.

"Woah! Kat! What are you doing?!" dad asked me confused when he noticed me pull out my gun, aiming at the man's head. My heart pounding. My breathing heavy. My palms sweating. My brain screaming at me to shoot.

"Kat?" Carl called for me confused as I felt dad's hands pull my gun down and out of my hands quickly. He looked at me confused, everyone watched as I backed away, my chest heaving and a warmth coated my body from what I was seeing.

"What's wrong baby girl?" mom asked as she walked closer to me, reaching out for me I kept walking back and everyone stared at me. Unsure and worried. _They probably think I'm looking at a ghost..._

"That's the same guy who assisted in the attempted rape..." I revealed to them, everyone either gasping, wide eyed or worried when they looked to me. When their eyes all landed back to the man, I saw mom gaping at me and Shane clench his jaw. Dad swallowed a hard lump in his throat as he looked to the guy in the car.

"Wait...are you sure?" Shane asked me as he stepped closer to me, rubbing his head in his nervous state. Getting close to me and making me flinch away from him. My eyes firm and my head shook incredulously at the fact he asked me this question.

"You think I wouldn't be fucking sure who was trying to rape me and the one who helped the other try and rape me?! The same one who ran away?! Believe me...I remember shit like this," I growled at him. Sure of what I saw and knew. _Such a fucking stupid question._

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><p>"We couldn't just leave him behind. He would've bled out, if he lived that long," dad explained as we all were gathered in the dinning room. We were all there except Daryl and Hershel.<p>

"It's gotten bad in town," Glenn explaned sadly as he looked to me and the rest of us. My jaw clenched as I leaned against the door, my arms folded over my chest and glaring into the distance. To a spot on the wall as to not lose my patience or temper.

"What do we do with him?" Andrea asked as we saw Hershel come in cleaning his hands on a white cloth. My eyes roamed around the room, to see what everyone's reaction to this was.

"I repaired his calf muscle as best I can, but he'll probably have nerve damage. Won't be on his feet for at least a week," Hershel told us and this made me scoff. _Keeping a rapist under our roof. Fuck that. I'd rather die than have him under our roof._

"When he is, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way," dad suggested, a plan ready and this made me take in a slow and shaky breath. Carl turned around to look at me, giving me a small smile and I gave him a shy smile back.

"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea said as we saw Daryl walk in, he gave a small nod and smile to Carol. He stood beside me and crossed his arms over his chest. His presence made me have to shuffle a few steps away, so that he could have room and not make me feel any more tense than I already was.

"He'll have a fighting chance," dad explained trying to seem reasonable about the entire situation. _He wants this asshole gone by the week but...is still being kind enough by giving him this 'chance'?! Who knows if that dick would have given me a chance?!_

"Just gonna let him go? He knows where we are," Shane pointed out. _I have to agree with Shane. We shouldn't let him go incase he searches for the others and brings hell rolling towards us. I won't let that happen. Ever._

"He was blindfolded the whole way here. He's not a threat," dad informed us but I just looked away. The anger inside me growing at the thought of the guy living under Hershel's roof.

"Not a threat," I scoffed at dad's words. "He is the same guy who held me down so the other guy could try and rape me! I got out alive and unharmed but...one of them didn't. I don't want him under this roof any longer than he needs to be..." I say trying to be reasonable. "I should have killed him when I had the chance..." I mumbled to myself. Hoping that no one would hear me and if they did_...fuck them._

"How many of them were there? You killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just ain't gonna come looking? They ain't just gonna come over here and rape our women and children?" Shane asked dad incredulous of the thought that these men may be the worst type to negotiate with and save them.

"They left him for dead. No one is looking," dad spat, growling as he leaned over the table and looked at Shane angered. _How would he know?! They still came looking for the other two who were in the bar...who's to say they won't check to see if 'Randall' is really dead?_

"We should still post a guard," T-Dog suggested and I just took in a shaky breath, looking away and feeling the vile rise in my stomach from my nerves. _Fuck...this is driving me crazy. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?!_

"He's out cold right now, will be for hours," Hershel informed us making me take a loud and hard swallow. _I wish it was lights out for that fucker. Why? He's a threat and he isn't welcome as far as I'm concerned._

"You know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy," Shane said as he scoffed and headed towards the door, rubbing at his head and shaking it. "Look at this, folks! We back in fantasy land," Shane said sarcastically at the situation and I just look away, my face hard with the anger and dicision we were making.

"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet. Let me make this perfectly clear, once and for all...this is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor...keep your mouth shut," Hershel threatened as he stopped Shane from leaving. Making me look between the two. Daryl's eyes were on me when I looked at the two men but it was quickly on the conversation between Hershel and Shane when he noticed me catch him looking at me.

Shane sighed, rubbed his head and walked out the door. "We're not gonna do anything about it today. Let's just cool off," dad suggested to all of us as he stood beside Hershel and people were begining to leave.

"Just know this...I don't want him anywhere near me...mom and Carl...if I even get a look at him again...I will kill him," I threatened as I turned my back on the rest of them and was the first to leave after Shane. _This...is going to be one hell of a problem..._

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter! DUN DUN DUN! So...it was Randall there in the forrest assisting in the attempted rape and who ran away. Who knew? Yes...Kat is fighting everything she has not to do the wrong thing but...would you really act any different with this situation? <strong>

**Well shit...I can't edit as well as I would like to! Now...please mind the spelling mistakes. As for the disclaimer...I ONLY OWN KATHRINE GRIMES! + EXTRA CHARACTERS FROM HER PAST! (which will come up later in the series)**

**Now! I would like 5 reviews for this chapter to get me posting the chapters quicker! Next chapter...won't have a lot of Kat moments but...it will have the struggle between Shane and Rick and possibly...a lot of bonding between Kat and Carl...you'll see why! Anyway! Review responses starting...now!**

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><p><strong>redangel2463: Here's your update! Mmmm...I understand. I was crying a little when I was writing those moments but...this actually had me sweating writing the whole Randall thing. Thank you for your constant reviews sweetie!<strong>

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><p><strong>Liaskane: Kat is surprisingly strong. She'll get over it. She kind of already has but...it will creep up in her mind every so often. Especially when it comes to her baby brother Carl. Hopefully you understand. Thank you for your review sweetie!<strong>

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Well...not only were they in her group but...surprise! I have to admit yes...Carl and Daryl can get through to her but...so can her parents. So can anyone who speaks truth or she fully trusts. Right now...Kat doesn't fully trust Daryl. Especially not after what he did to her mother...ouch. {Winces} Thank you for your review sweetie!<strong>

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><p><strong>Much love!<strong>

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	15. Chapter 15: Disputes

Chapter 15: Disputes

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

_~Earlier today~_

_"Dad!" I heard Kat call out at me. Her voice rang out across the field, loud and clear. I was getting ready to take Randall out into an anbandoned area. Far away from my daughter, the group and the ones I loved. Shane was getting our hostage and Kat's sweet face came to view as she got closer to me._

_"Dad...Shane...he...look. I know you have to do this because this is the right thing to do but...what if he knows we live here?" Kat asked but before I could answer she quickly shut her eyes and took a breath before she continued to speak. _

_"Shane isn't right these days dad. Not since you came back from the dead. He...you know about him and mom. You've heard about what he did to Otis. Did you know he had a gun pointed at you, has been threatening Dale and has hit me in front of all of you?!" Kat asked stunned of Shane's new found behaviour._

_"Dad...it's not just Shane doing things but...he's saying things. Said things. He isn't in his right mind dad. He lied to mom and...he's even lied to me. To Carl. It wasn't mom who told Carl he was dead. That's just what me and mom heard. It was actually Shane who said that...Shane's not right dad. You have to fix it before it's too late..." Kat said which made my mind wonder..._

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><p><strong>Present day...RPOV<strong>

"I thought we were going further," Shane said as I parked and got out of the car. Stepping as far away from the car, beside the fields and staring out into the distance. Shane searched around for anything or any walkers. I wasn't 100% positive what he was doing.

"We are. 18 miles out," I tell him, taking a moment to gather my thoughts and looking at Shane, he had walked closer to me, close enough to stand in close proximitry. My plans were still a long way aways. I just...need this time with Shane, away from our group and out of their earshot.

"So why are we stopping?" Shane asked me confused as to why I randomly chose to stop here. _Better in the middle than to reach there and get straight into business. _

"I wanted to talk. Been waiting a week till we were gonna do this. I just wanna talk," I say as I gripped onto my belt, hoping that Shane would listen to what I had to say and possibly move on. _We need to move on...or it simply won't work. _

"We don't need to," Shane said as he looked away from me, his hand on the shotgun was no longer threatening, his hand making it drop to one side and the other hung to his side.

"We do," I disagree, looking directly at him.

"No man, we don't. We're doing this. I get it. He was passed out when y'all brought him back, doesn't know where the farm is," Shane said as he kept looking anywhere but at me. _He thinks we're talking about Randall..._

"That isn't what I need to talk to you about. I heard what really happened at the school. Was it to survive?" I asked him, sighing between my statements and Shane just looked away, clenching his jaw and his mouth slightly agape. _This isn't like Shane...at all._

"Yeah. One of us wasn't gonna make it out. It had to be him. One shot to the leg, Carl lives. Reality is...he had no business being here-there. Whatever," Shane tried to explain, playing it as though it had to be done. _I wish it didn't have to end that way but...there's no going back is there?_

"You don't think I would've done it?" I asked him. Nodding in understanding and then looking directly at him.

"No, man, I know you wouldn't have," he replied quickly than I could have asked. His hands gripping his shotgun again.

"You don't think I can keep Lori, Kat or Carl safe?" I asked him, questioning his thoughts and what he truly believed about me. _How little faith my partner has in me..._

"I didn't say that," Shane rejected the thought that I could see he had once had in his mind. _He's lying. He has the habbit to do this now...doesn't he?_

"Or my baby? Is it gonna have to be me too?" I asked him, thinking of when Kat told me about Shane pointing the gun at me. _Does he really see me as a threat?_

"Rick, you can't just be the good guy and expect to live. Okay? Not anymore," Shane answered, dodging my question completely and changing the subject. _Is he really saying that I'm always the good guy? That I'm a threat to him? Is that how he sees me?_

"I'm not the good guy anymore," I state, my eyes drifting to the car and who was in the it tied up. "To save Carl's life, I would've done anything, to prevent Kat's attempted rape I would have done anything. Anything," I growled at him, getting closer to him.

"Now Lori says you're dangerous, you've proven it by hurting Kat like you did back at the farm...but you're not gonna be dangerous. Not to us, not to me, not anymore. How about you look at me?" I threatened and questioned him. Showing him I meant business and that I meant what I say. Say what I mean.

"You and Lori...I get what happened. When I figured it out- and I figured it out pretty quickly. I wanted to break your jaw...let you choke on your teeth. But I didn't. That wasn't weakness. It took everything. That is my wife. That is my daughter. That is my son. That is my unborn child," I state growling out my family members to him. Reminding him that he may have played house once, but that was built out of lies. Ones that he had made.

"I will stay alive to keep them alive. You don't love her. You think you do, but you don't. Now the only way you and me keep on...is that you accept everything I just said right here, right now, and we move forward with that understanding," I tell him how it was meant to be. How we should be moving on from this and continuing to keep the ones back at the farm safe.

"When it started it was just- it was a couple of weird stories on the news. Then-then it was so quick. Everything...it just happened. Two weeks later, I'm in the hospital and there were soldiers shooting people in the halls. They were shooting people, man, not walkers. Then the walkers came through," Shane told me, remembering the time he had tried to find me in the hospital.

"You know, I tried to get you out, I tried, but we weren't gonna make it. Man, there was no way and I knew it. But I couldn't live with it. I couldn't live, knowing...but I had to," Shane explained. _So this is why he said I was dead...was it?_

"I didn't keep Lori, Kat and Carl alive, man. They kept me alive. I want you to know that I didn't look at her before that. Brother, if I could take it all back, I would," Shane said with my back to him, I had walked before he had started talking but I had to stop to listen to what he had to say.

"I wanna check the ropes," I tell him as I went to check up on Randall. He had loud music playing in his ears and a bag over his head. Checking the ropes that tied his hands and feet together, they were fine. Checking the duck tape that silenced his mouth...it was fine. "It's all good," I inform Shane as I covered Randall's face with the bag and shut the door on him.

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Hey Kat?" I heard a rough voice call out to me. Turning my head away from Carl who was outside with me doing homework, we saw Daryl stand beside a tree slighly awkwardly.

"Yeah?" I asked him raising an eyebrow questioningly. _What exactly does he want? Especially after the shit he's been saying to me and my mom. Fucking asshole._

"Can I talk to you?" he asked me softly, his eyes looked at me and then Carl. His stance was awkward, as though he didn't know what to do with himself. Other than rub the back of his neck and look at me under his lashes.

"Carry on with your homework Carl. I'll be right back," I tell him as I took a few steps away from Carl, moving far enough to talk privately and close enough to see him from a distance. "What is it you want to talk about?" I asked Daryl as I stopped to look at him, my arms crossed and he still looked like he didn't know what to do with himself.

"I just wanted to say sorry about the time when your mom went out in search for your dad," Daryl apologized which surprised me slightly. _What happened to his tough boy act? I thought he was never going to say sorry...judging he decided to say this after a week._

"What about? The time you told my mom to go searching for him or when you insulted her with me in earshot?" I spat and he went to speak but I just sigh and look away. "I get it...you were still upset over Sophia. We all were...but here's something you need to know. Next time you go telling one of my family memebers to go looking for someone, especially alone...I won't be so forgiving," I threaten and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I woudn't expect it any other way," he told me as though he expected as much. I went to walk off, leaving him there to be alone but was soon called again. "Hey Kat?" Daryl called out to me again, turning my back to look at him, I kept my arms crossed over my chest.

"Yeah?" I answered, curious as to what he would want to talk about this time. _Let me go...I want to be with Carl. I don't want him to run off and possibly do something stupid. Not after what mom did and the fear I saw in his eyes. The one he denied when mom asked him._

"What happened out there? While I was recovering from my injury..." Daryl said which made me think of the time when Sophia was around. My heart sinking into my stomach. _I could have done more...I know I could._

"Well...some guys jumped me in the woods. Took my weapons...got them back. Thing is...they tried to rape me. One of them...I can't and don't want to remember his name was trying to rape me. While Randall did nothing but help the other guy by holding me down. So that I wouldn't struggle or hurt them," I said as I uncrossed my arms.

"Shit," Daryl said as he sighed. _He probably can't believe it. Oh well...it happened and there is no going back from that. _I got closer to him, his feet shuffling as though he was impatient but unwilling to move.

"Yeah...good thing was...I killed one of them. The one who I killed was the man who tried to rape me. Sadly...Randall was the one to escape. The same fucking bastard who was under our roof for a week and who held me down so the other could rape me," I inform him, which made me curious when I saw his jaw clench slightly. His eyes looking away from me and towards Carl. They were dark. _What's got into him?_

"I'm sorry," he said sadly, he took a long and painful gulp before he looked at me. His eyes sad and his face seemed solemn. _Where this fucking come from? Is he so sad about shit that he didn't even do? So fucking weird..._

"No need. It wasn't your fault...I better get back to him," I told him but then I drifted my eyes to Carl. Carl simply held onto the pencil, looking at the page blankly and would glance up to look up at the two of us. Daryl gave me a single nod before I turned away and headed back to sit beside Carl.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"We've gotta start using our knives more. If there's one walker, we use our knives. We keep things quiet. We save ammunition," I remind him. Trying to keep his head straight.

"Yeah," he agreed, looking out the window and away from me. Paying no attention to what I said at all.

"We need dry goods ahead of the winter...warm clothes, fuel. Maybe we get a break. You gotta think the cold affects them. If it doesn't kill 'em, it's gotta slow 'em down. The second week of January last year, we got all that snow and ice," I remind him, keeping hope that maybe we will have a chance against the walkers.

"My cousin got stuck on 85 for 24 hours. Sitting in his car with a birthday cake for his girlfriend at Georgia tech. He just sat and ate birthday cake and listened to the 'Lord Of The Rings' book on tape. We get lucky, we get the same winter as last year. By December, it's a different world. Safer. Maybe we find some snowmobiles to make runs," I suggest, remembering the winters we normally get and a way to survive against the walkers.

"That sounds good," Shane agreed, still paying no attention to me and my ideas. We kept driving, we were at least more than 12 miles the last time I checked. "It's more than 18," he reminded me which made me look down. He was right. _More than 18 miles...shit._

"Yeah, I'm looking for a place," I tell him, trying to by some sort of excuse so that he wasn't thinking I was thinking things through. _Yeah...he may have assisted in the attempt of rape with my daughter but...maybe he really is just forced into doing those things so that he could survive with the other group._

"A place for what?" Shane questioned me. Making me swallow hard, thinking of a good enough excuse and answer for him.

"Give him a fair shake. A shot," I tell him which makes his face twitch as though he had something he was dying to say but didn't just to save the trouble. "There," I say as I drove a while longer, finding the perfect place to leave the boy. "This'll do. We'll leave the boy here and scavenge some supplies," I inform Shane as I looked at where we would leave him.

"Over there," I called to Shane as I saw a walker cop make his way towards us slowly. "Wait," I tell Shane when I saw him pull out his hand gun and aim at the walker. "Like I said," I say as I lowered his gun and watched the walker come closer to us.

Pulling out my pocket knife, I flipped it opened and cut into my finger. Smearing the new blood along the fence, I watched as the walker ran towards the blood greedily. The walker clung to the fence, his tongue sticking out and licking the blood off of it. Quickly I grabbed my knife and killed it. "Gun's quick, easy, but other ways to do this," I tell him but soon saw another walker head towards us. "One more. Your turn," I state as he looked to me then back to the walker, following my steps and killing the walker.

We walk inside, checking the place and notice that there was a pile of burnt bodies. "Hey, Rick. I don't see any bites," Shane tells me as he dragged the bodies to lay side by side, checking for bites and any scratches. Looking away from the fuel tanks I had found in the back of a truck.

"Gotta be scratches then..." I say as I stand beside him, seeing that there was no bites or scratches, just ones that were vague enough to pass as scratches. "This one's hand, other one's cheek. They had walkers here. Burned bodies down the hill," I try to tell him as I pointed to each dead walker.

"I guess it gotta be scratches then, huh?" Shane mumbled, looking at the walkers and squinting at them from either the light or the slight confusion. We then decided to get Randall out from the car and in the spot I had pointed out to Shane.

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Kat?..." I hear Carl's small voice ask me as we sat there, I was marking his work and checking it over. Carl sat there patiently, waiting for me to finish but his bright blues examined me.

"Mmmhm," I answer him, focused on marking the work and not making a mistake. His head was proped on his hand that was being supported by his elbow resting on the table. _He looks so...curious._

"What exactly is 'rape'?" he asked me out of the blue. My palms began to sweat, my heart pounding and head spinning. _What do I tell him? Oh fuck...I don't know if I should say...should I?_

"Well it's...it's when people try and force you to do things you don't want to do," I tell him, knowing it sounded vague and not entirely correct but...maybe he would relate to it.

"Oh...so like when mom forces me to do my homework?" Carl asked me as though he knew what I ment. Trying to put that term into an example like that so he could understand better. I gulped and looked down at the paper after sighing, my body becoming un tense from the conversation as I was close to possibly losing it.

"Well...sorta but...it's more...intimate. Damaging," I say, trying not to be too specific as I still felt a little sore about the conversation. _It's a little difficult to explain rape to your baby brother when you were almost raped yourself more than a week ago. _

"Oh..." Carl said, his voice sounding more sad. Depressed even. As though he knew what I meant and didn't like the sound of it. _He probably doesn't. Just like I wouldn't like to see Carl hurt...he doesn't like me hurt or sad. It's just how family is._

"Don't worry Carl. I won't let anything like that happen to me or to you. Or mom or dad. It won't happen. Not as long as I'm alive and breathing. I'll protect you. No matter what," I tell him, making more of an oath to myself than to him. _I won't let him experience that. Not like I did. I'll kill the fucker before he could hurt Carl that way._

"It's what big sisters do," Carl said with a smile as I looked at him, gripping onto his hair at the back of his head I made him look up at me. Smiling at this words, I loosened my grip and messed his hair a little where my hand laid.

"Exactly. It's what big sisters do," I repeated pleased that he knew I meant what I said. The seriousness was now gone, only pure love was left between us. Shutting our eyes, I pulled Carl's head to mine and kissed his forehead. _Carl is the one thing I will never fail. Ever._

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

Dragging Randall to the spot, I took his blindfold off and earphones. "The hell is this?" Randall asked as he looked around confused as to what was happened. "Oh, come on, don't be stupid. I owe you guys!" he called after us as we turned to leave. "I can help protect what you've got. Why would you save my life just to kill me by leaving me here? One guy! One guy can't make it alone. That's why I was with those dudes! I was alone," he tried to reason to us. I turned to look at him, pulling out a knife, I threw it on the ground so that he could crawl and escape if he had the chance, strength and time.

"Don't be stupid! I'm not like them! I'm just some guy! I used to watch football and screw around on the Internet. I lived with my mom! I lost her like you lost people. I went to school with Maggie for God's sake!" he shouted to us. This made me and Shane stop. Both of us unsure what to do or say. "I went to church. I rode the bench on varsity baseball," he continued as we turned back and walked up to him.

"You went to school with Maggie? You go to school with Maggie? Answer the question! Did you go to school with Maggie?!" I asked him as Shane would repeat my question, both of us angry knowing that he knew exactly where we were.

"I-it-she didn't know me! Didn't even know I existed. I mean, I knew her. I knew who her dad was. There is no way I would ever do anything. To hurt her or her family," he said which made us relieved, turning our backs to head back and ignoring his words.

"Jesus," Shane mumbled as we walked away, rubbing at his head frustrated. I was unsure as to what to do. _Maybe he's telling the truth. Maybe he had to do what they said in order to survive...fuck. What do I do?_

"Or you! Or your people! I'm not like the guys I was with!" the boy shouted at us as we could hear him squirming around, pleading for his life and begging for us to take him with us.

"He knows where the farm is, Rick. Where we are...he knows. Say he finds his way back to his people..." Shane tries to convince me as we stop, I was looking towards the boy and Shane had his back to him. I didn't know what to say...or think. Instead I stood there, but I then saw Shane quickly pull his gun out and aimed at the kid.

"Shane, no!" I shout as Shane went to shoot at the boy. Pushing Shane so he would miss and save the boy's life. Shane hit the car and fell to sit down on the ground. "Not now! Just not now!" I shout at him, my voice stern and eyes focused on him. My foot planted on the gun, watching as Shane sat up on his ass.

"Well, when, Rick? When?" Shane asked me curious as to what was going to happen with the boy we held captive. Kicking Shane's gun to the side, I watched Shane look up at me. The look in his eyes were dark. Menacing.

"When I've had a chance to think about it," I tell him, walking away and hearing the thump of the gun fly off towards the distance. My head spun with my thoughts. _What do I do?_

"Don't let him kill me. Please don't," Randall pleaded as he laid on the floor, crawling and shuffling. At this moment he stopped. _He's probably scared for his life. Shane almost killed him._

"Shut up!" I shout at Randall, fed up with his continuous pleading and whining. "We're going back. It's a man's life. I need a night to think it through," I say as I turn to look at Shane. _What do I say to Kat?_

"You're gonna bring this piece of garbage-this piece of garbage who-...he shot at you, Rick. He ran with men who tried to kill you. He assisted in the attempted rape of your daughter Rick! Jesus Christ..." Shane blurted and made me wince. "You gonna bring him back to where Lori sleeps? To where Carl and Kat sleep?" Shane asked as he pointed directly to the boy who laid on the ground.

"He'll be locked up in the barn, unless you bust it open," I mumbled remembering the time he opened up the barn filled with walkers. _Making us all have a tough time. Kat...she...fuck. She wouldn't talk to me properly for an entire week. Mentioning Sophia to her was hell. She would turn cold and distant. Walk away and cry to herself sometimes. I don't want her worrying this time. Not with this situation._

"Oh, don't start that shit," Shane said when I got upclose to me, he was getting angered with our conversation. He knew what he did to Kat too. Not only did he make her suffer but he hurt her. Laying his hand on her like that.

"I'm taking the night," I tell him as I began to walk away, turning my back on him again.

"Man, you take that. You think on it, Rick. Keep struggling with it. It ain't hard, man. The right choice is the one that keeps us alive. It's always the same with you. It's like the first moment. It's whenever you're put to the test," Shane shouted at me, getting to his feet and getting closer to me.

"Stop acting like you know the way ahead, like you know the rules," I growled at him, unhappy that he was trying to go against me. Trying to make me doubt myself and turn against what I believed in. "There are no rules, man. We're lost," I remind him, thinking about everything that had happened and what this word had turned us into.

"No-no-no, man. I know exactly where I am," Shane disagreed with me, turning my back on him again. Rubbing at my nose and face, unsure of what was going on and what to do. Too many thoughts crossing my mind all at the same time.

"You don't know shit anymore," I shouted, unhappy with his words and how he was trying to make things seem as though they weren't what they seemed. _Kat was right...he really is losing it. _

"I don't think you can do it, Rick," Shane challenged me. As though he knew what I was like anymore. _Fuck...guess we both changed. Huh? What a great world this makes people be._

"It's my call, man," I tell him and didn't want to argue anymore. _This isn't like him. This isn't like us! What the fuck are we doing arguing like this?! We need to get back and sleep on it. I don't want to waste anymore time than we already have._

"I don't think you can keep them safe," Shane tells me which makes me pause a moment, my body was turned away from him and when I turned to look at him, I knew he was challenging me. Challenging my parental skills. My matial skills. That I am not a good protector anymore. _He's wrong...and I've had enough._

The two of us began fighting, blocking, punching, grabbing and throwing each other around. Throwing things on top of each other, hurting each other and punching each other as well as we could. "Get off me, man," Shane growled at me as we tried to get the upper hand. The two of us were gunless, trying to find weapons of sorts and when Shane threw a motorbike ontop of me, I was winded and Shane had found a gun.

He went to aim it at Randall again but I stopped him. Both of us grunting, growling and trying to get the better part of the fight. The one who wasn't getting their ass kicked more. We both got our good set of punches and other hits in. Still it was no where near finished. Slamming my fist into Shane's face a few times, I got to my feet and stepped back a few.

"You're not doing this! You don't get to make these calls anymore. I won't let you," I growled at him. Breathless from the fight and possibly the motorbike that had crushed me mere moments ago. Shane was getting to his feet, ready to continue the fight and picked up a wrench. He threw it at me, it went spiraling towards me but I quickly ducked.

Glass shattered above me, Shane stared at something behind me and this was when I heard the moans. The hands gripping to get out. The stumbling of their feet as one climbed out, killing him using my knife, quickly I pulled him to lay on top of me. To mask my body like Daryl had in order to save T-Dog from the herd that made Sophia run away.

Walkers soon piled out of their hiding place and followed Shane to wherever he ran off to. Throwing the walker off me when I felt the time had come when I knew no more walkers would climb out, I moved to get to my feet and then saw another walker fall out of the smashed window.

Keeping low, I tried to run away from the walker and soon found my gun hidden under a car. Taking my gun, I saw the walker that had followed me walk towards me, shooting it down I was winded again when it fell on top of me. Groaning, I then looked around the walker to see he had been followed by another walker which spotted me.

Climbing onto the other walker, I went to shoot and it slapped my hand. Making me miss. Reaching for me, I aimed my gun as well as I could and shot. The walker fell flat dead atop the walker I had killed first. Suddenly, another weight was added to the never ending pile of walkers. He was gripping and reaching for me. Instead I went to aim but couldn't find it. Finding a new way to aim, I slipped the barrel of my gun to the first walker's mouth. Shooting three times, I made sure the top walker was dead.

Reaching for my knife, I pushed the walkers off me and got to my feet. Spotting Randall with his feet free, he held onto the knife I had thrown on the floor. He was about to make a run for it but I stopped him. Cocking my gun, I aimed it at him. "Oh! Holy shit," Randall cursed when he noticed me.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" I questioned him, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him towards a car to hide. The boy trembled in fear letting him go, I slipped my gun into my holster and saw Shane's gun laid on the floor.

"What did you expect me to do? Please, just let me go, man. That's what you came here for. I'm not gonna tell anyone anything," Randall pleaded, on his knees and looking at me with worried eyes.

"Shut up," I growled at him. Looking up, I took Shane's gun and saw walkers line the bus. Trying to get whatever was inside there. That was when I saw Shane with his back against the door, trying to not allow entry to the walkers in the bus.

"You wanna stay here? Help the guy that just tried to bash your head in? There's 10 roamers there. You think you can take them on? They don't see us. We can get out of here. Oh, come on. Fine! But let me have a gun. I'll help you. I'll show you. I can. I know it," he mumbled as I thought things over.

"Let's go," I growled as I gripped onto the boy's shirt. Dragging him to walk backwards as we retreated. _He brought this on himself. Didn't he say it? To survive in this world we can't be the good guy anymore. Not in this world._

"What?" Randall asked me confused as he complied and shuffled back as best as he could. He was confused as to what was going on but at this moment my eyes were glued to the bus. _Shane will probably see us..._

"He did this. We're going," I growled and decided to walk away. Leaving Shane there. _He got what was coming to him. For challenging me. For hurting my daughter. For going against my rules. My terms._

"Oh, thank you. Thank you," Randall spoke as I shoved him and pushed him towards the car. Shane glanced at me, his face pressed up against the window and pleading me not to go.

"Stay there," I growled at Randall as I went to check the bodies. Pulling out their guns, I took the ammo they had and noticed there were definatly no bites or scratches. _Fuck...is what Jenner said...true?_

"Shane! Run! Go for the back door! Come on! Come on, get in! Go, man, go! Come on!" I shouted to Shane, deciding I couldn't leave him behind like that. That maybe he had learnt his lesson and that maybe being the good guy can actually save your life more than end it. Taking down walkers while Randall drove, Shane climbed in through the open back window.

"Whoo! Yeah! Hell yeah! You see that? You see what we did?" Randall shouted and cheered to himself after he smashed a walker's head and drove out. Driving down streets, Shane was panting from the run and adrenaline he had pumping through his veins.

"Just keep driving," I growled and he stopped with his happy time. Driving further, I directed him and told him to stop. Tying him up again, we threw him at the back of the car. Shane and I sat down on the front, staring into the distance as we were pondering in our thoughts.

"If you wanna kill me, you're gonna have to do better than a wrench. Probably gonna have to kill that boy, but I am gonna think about it a night. It can't be that easy, killing someone, killing anyone. You know that," I say reminding him of the Otis situation, hopeful that he knew it was wrong even if his intentions were right.

"That is my wife. That is my daughter. That is my son. That is my child. If you're gonna be with us, you gotta follow my lead, you gotta trust me. It's time for you to come back," I tell him, holding out his gun he looked at me and he gave me a long, hard look. Taking the gun from my hand, we decided to head back. To the farm..._fuck. What do I tell Kat?_

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Now...I'm getting a little annoyed. I'm being good by posting as quickly and frequently as I can. Now...for a price on these chapters I would like it to be reviews. Or I simply don't post chapters for this story at all. Now...be good with me and I'll be good with you. Isn't that fair? 5 REVIEWS AND I MEAN IT! Please. <strong>

**Now...if you also like my writing styles. Please check my other stories out! I have Borgias, TWD stories, aTWD video game story and plenty others. Please...if you truly like my writing go check them out. Especially my new The Borgias story (It's called: Servants, Crimes and Forbidden Fruits). I've worked hard on that and...it's not my usual style or field. So please...check it out and give me some love on that or other stories.**

**Now...replies! P.S I give huge thumbs up and love to those who review without a single miss! I love you guys so much. Plus...we're getting closer to Season 2 finale in this story! So excited for what's to come!**

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><p><strong>redangel2463: We'll just have to see. Yeah...she went through a lot that chapter. I'm still hopeful she'll do the right thing...eventually. Hope the DarylKat moment was enough to fill your needs on seeing them together without disputing.**

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><p><strong>Purple Dragon Ranger: You will have to wait for the next chapter! Promise! As for Kat and Daryl...that is a very slow burn. Don't worry. They'll both be realizing sooner rather than later.<strong>

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><p><strong>Liaskane: Discussion...done! As for the Grimes family...shit tonnes and...it's only going to get harder I'm afraid. Sorry! Oh well...what more can you expect from TWD?<strong>

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Sadly...it's not going to get any easier for her. As time goes. Still she is very hopeful. Yeah...surprise? I was hinting it. If you read the chapter where Randall and the other guy tried to rape her the man refers to Randall as 'R'. See? Love you too sweetie. I mean it.<strong>

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><p><strong>Until the 5 reviews...<strong>

**Much love! **

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	16. Chapter 16: Demise

Chapter 16: Demise

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~1 year ago~_

_I had just walked into the house, I walked upstairs to place my backpack from college into my room. Hearing footsteps, I turned and heard them coming from the room next to mine. _Carl..._heading out of my room after dropping my backpack onto my bed, I walked out to the hallway and stopped outside his door. Knocking two times to get his attention._

_"Come in," I heard him call out to me, opening the door I stepped inside and saw a sad looking Carl slump to sit on his bed. "Hey Kat...how was college?" he asked me sadly and I couldn't help but feel sad for him. _What could make him feel so sad?

_"It was all right..." I say but then looked to his bed. "May I?" I asked him and he gave me a solemn nod. Frowning I sat beside him and nudged him with my elbow. "What's got you so sad baby brother?" I question his sadness. _

_"Mom and dad...they're arguing a lot. I feel like...it's my fault," he tells me which makes me sigh and look down at my thumbs which were twirling in circles. Orbiting each other. _

_"Carl...don't think that," I encouraged him as I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, pulling him to my side and holding him to me. "Sometimes...we feel like it's our fault. Maybe because we have a part to play but...some things happen and...we can't control it. Sometimes...it's fate but...don't ever blame yourself until you truly have reason to do so," I tell him. He gives me a small smile and wrapped his arms around me in a hug._

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><p><strong>Present day...DPOV<strong>

"I told you!" Randall pleaded as I would beat his face in, my knuckles were starting to bleed and so was his face. Cuts, blood, busted lip. I honestly felt a little proud with my work. _Fucker deserves this._

"You told me shit!" I growled as I picked him up by his collar and slamned him against the wall, getting him to sit up straight and to look at me. I was pacing around, trying to control my anger and my nerves with this asshole.

"I barely knew those guys. I met 'em on the road," the boy shouted at me, pleadingly as though he wanted nothing more than for this to stop. _Well...it ain't stopping until I get answers._

"How many in your group?" I asked him again, wondering if he would answer. It had been the third time I asked him this question. I was losing my patience and I knew I had to keep my head level if I wanted to get answers out of him. _To protect the group. To protect the ones I cared about...but fuck would I ever admit to that. Never._

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Come on, man!" he pleaded when he didn't answer. Pulling out my knife and digging it into the wood beside his injured leg. He screamed and panted when he noticed me miss him by an inch, trapping his pants in the wood and knife. He looked up at me scared.

"How many?!" I demanded as I looked at him, our height level and maybe more intimidating than if I was stood up on my two feet. _Proximity...a way I learned from Merle. He would say 'get in a mans face an they know ya mean business'._

"Uh, 30- 30!" the boy shouted at me, trying to regain his breath and his eyes pleading. Worried and possibly scared. _Better be fucking scared...I could do a lot worse than just hit him around a little._

"Where?" I questioned him, hopeful that he would answer me now that I had him where I wanted him. _He fears me. _Ripping the cloth, I exposed his stitches and the pale skin that was his leg.

"Uh I don't know. I swear. We were never anyplace more than a night," he screamed, his jaw clenched as he would speak from the pressure I had put against his cut. He squirmed and pleaded as he spoke. Wanting me not to cut open his stitches.

"Scouting? Planning on staying local?" I asked him as I dug the knife a little more, the tip swirling and grazing along his stitched up cut. _I wonder what would happen if I cut this wound open again...hope he screams like the little bitch he is._

"I-I don't know. They-they left me behind!" the boy tried to explain, to make me see that he was innocent. _Innocent my ass. We all know this guy is far from innocent._

"Did you ever pick off a scab?" I ask him, twirling the tip of my knife deeper into his wound, wondering if he would speak up or stay silent. Trying not to put too my pressure, I saw him wriggle his leg a little, holding onto it tightly and making sure he didn't cause himself a new cut.

"Come on, man! I'm-I'm trying to cooperate," the boy pleaded, wriggling his leg to keep it away from my knife. Looking up at him I didn't know what else to do. That was when I decided to dig the tip a little more, not enough to draw blood but enough to show him I was meaning business.

"Start real slow at first," I tell him, getting slowly closer to his face. "Sooner or later, you've just gotta rip it off," I growled as I twirled my knife, his face showing me he was in pain with his weird whimpers.

"Okay!" he shouted out before I could do anymore damage. _Knew he was a little bitch. _ "Okay. They have weapons. Heavy stuff, automatics. But I didn't do anything," he shouted when he started to try and speak. The boy was stuttering and examining the knife that was still digging into his skin.

"Your boys shot at my boys. Tried to take this farm. You just went along for the ride? You're trying to tell me you're innocent?" I shouted, my anger starting to come out and the boy just sat there and listened. _He knows I'm right...he knows he isn't innocent._

"Yes! These-these people took me in. Not just guys. A whole group of 'em. Men and women, kids too...just like you people. Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know?" he tried to make me sympathise him. _It ain't fucking working kid. Ain't ever going to work._

"But...we go out, scavenge...just the men. One night, we...we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters. Teenagers, you know? Real young. Real cute," I stood up and removed my knife from his leg, pacing around looking at him. Listening to what he had to say. I turned my back as to walk away but then hearing this made me froze.

_It's like he fucking read my mind about Kat...wait...is he trying to tell me he knows Kat is here? _Turning to look at him my eyes were dark with hidden anger. His looked up at me like he knew something. _Fuck...please don't tell me he knows Kat's here...is he talking about Kat?_

"Their daddy had to watch while these guys...they...and they didn't even kill him afterwards. They just-they just made him watch as his daughters...they just-just...just left him there," he tells me which made me pant, thinking of what they did and how they almost could have done that to Kat. _Fuck...they've done it before. Kat wasn't a one time thing._

"No, but-but-but I didn't touch those girls. No, I swear I didn't to-" he said which made me growl, kicking him he squirmed and groaned from the pain. _Liar! You fucking helped keep Kat down...and I bet you helped hold the other girls down! Fucker! _

"Please. Please. You gotta believe me, man. I'm not like that. I ain't like that. Please. Please, you gotta believe me!" he pleaded again, crying and panting. My anger was over the roof, thinking about Kat and those poor girls. _No way are we letting this fucker live. _Kicking him the balls with all my force, I kept punching him and kicking him. Making him cry out in pain and wince. _That's for Kat...and those girls...and anymore you've come across._

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"So, what you gonna do? We'd all feel better if we knew the plan," mom said as he handed me a pot of coffee. Carl had his cup of tea and we were all stood by the fire. I was slighly mad that dad had brought Randall back, exhausted from all the shit that had been going on. _I'm a mess..._

"Is there a plan?" Andrea asked as she walked around us, I looked to Carl an he looked up at me sadly. _He knows I haven't had much sleep...he's the one who sleeps in the same tent as me again. _

"We gonna keep him here?" Glenn asked quickly. _I just want this all over and done with. I don't want him staying here any longer. _

"We'll know soon enough," dad said as he looked to the distance and this was when we all noticed Daryl walking back to us. He had gone to talk to the boy, to get some answers and get some fear into him. Like he did with Miguel back in Atlanta.

"Boy there's got a gang, 30 men. They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead...and our women, they're gonna-they're gonna wish they were..." Daryl explained when he stopped to look at us. "Kat wasn't just a one off," he said which made me sigh and shake my head. Shutting my eyes, I sat down and took in this information. _They're raped girls before..._

"What did you do?" I asked him when I looked up and noticed he had his knuckles red. Blood pouring out from the cuts. _He's been beating him up? I thought he was meant to just...scare the boy. Not attempt to kill him._

"Had a little chat," he told us, his blue eyes looking at me as I felt my heart drop to my stomach. _He's lying to me. Why does everyone lie around here? Dad said he was going to do what he had to in order to protect us. To protect the group...yet...he brings the fucker back and causes this shit to happen._

"No one goes near this guy," dad demanded and I just scoffed. _Don't have to tell me again. I don't want anything to do with that asshole. I don't even want to be even steps away from him. If I am...God...I'll kill him._

"Rick, what are you gonna do?" mom asked as she got up close to dad. He looked at her for a moment, staying silent and I noticed him look to me. His eyes sad and mom's face worried but curious.

"We have no choice. He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat," dad explained. Trying to reassure us we would all be safe and this was when I saw Carl sit beside me on the ground. _I won't let him hurt you baby brother. I promise._

"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale asked dad shocked. My eyes wide with Dale's new tone of voice. As though he doesn't agree with this. _What the fuck? Did he not hear Daryl?! He's a rapist and a murderer. He has to be killed._

"It's settled. I'll do it today," dad says and this was when others began to walk away from the camp we had set up. Carl just reached up and took my hand in his. He pressed a gentle kiss on the inside of my palm, where mom would kiss it to sooth me. _He cares...I know it. _My nose got this feeling and my eyes did too..._fuck. No way am I crying right now. Not in front of Carl._

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"You can't do this," Dale said as he followed after me. "You don't wanna do this. I know you don't," he tried to make me feel guilty but it wasn't working. _He's a good man but...I'm not going to let that boy live any longer. Not after what we just heard._

"I thought about it all night. Knowing what we know now, I don't see a way out of it," I tried to make him see clearly. Dale was having non of it as I tried to storm off, Dale following closely by my side.

"But you can't just decide on your own to take someone's life," Dale tried to explain. Trying to make me feel guilty about making such a quick decision without processing what options we had on the table.

"The group seemed supportive," I state, noticing back there that most people saw my daughters moment of dispare. _I need to do this. For the group and for Kat. It's hurting her and I don't want her hurting. Ever._

"What, because they didn't speak back? You didn't let 'em," he said as he tapped my side, making me stop and rest my hands on my hips. "There's gotta be a-a process," he tries to reason.

"And what would that be? We can't call witnesses, go before a judge," I ask him, facing him and pointing to the area the boy was locked up in. _The world isn't as it was before. We've all changed and...Kat isn't feeling any better about this boy being here. Not with this new information we just gathered._

"So he's automatically guilty by association and sentenced to death? He's just a kid! Gimme some time to talk to everyone," Dale tried to make me see his side, to see what he was trying to point out. _He was included in the whole thing. Yes. Of course he deserves to die._

"We can't-..." I said but Dale cut me off quickly.

"Try to figure out another way-" Dale tried to speak over me and try to make me listen to him. My mind was set and I didn't want to back away from this. _This is about my daughter...about her safety and the safety of the group._

"No, we can't drag this out! People are scared," I tell him, thinking about Kat and how she winced thinking about the fact she wasn't the first or possibly the last person they tried to rape. _She's exhaused...I can see it._

"Which is why they need time to discuss this," he tried to shout to me, to try and make me see where he was coming from. To make me realize that this was a mistake. _Is it a mistake to protect the ones you care about?_

"No, no, no, they need to be safe. I owe 'em that," I say as I began to walk away. To go to wherever I needed to go. To find the boy and ways on how to end his life. Which way would be preferable.

"You think about your son! The message that you're giving him...shoot first, think later," he tells me which makes me stop. _Carl would want Kat safe...I know that but...is what he saying true? What if he was just doing those things for survival?_

"I'm asking for one day to talk to everybody. You can give me that. Think-think about Carl and Kat," he tried to make me feel guilty again. Looking at him I studdied his face and thought things over.

"I am," I growled. _Kat is exhausted. She wants this guy gone. He is a threat and a bad memory to her. Carl wants us all safe. He doesn't want Kat suffering anymore than she already was._ "We reconvene at sunset, then what happens...happens," I tell him and left him there. Heading to the barn and fixing ways on how to kill Randall if that is what everyone wanted to happen.

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><p><strong>CPOV<strong>

"So he's a kid?" I asked Shane as I walked beside him, curious as to who this dick was. _We're keeping him hostage when he tried to rape my sister? That's just stupid._

"He ain't a kid. Just-...that's a figure of speech," Shane explained as he stopped walking and looked at me. We were getting close to where they were keeping him, Andrea was taking watching and guarding the guy who was locked up inside.

"Can I see him?" I ask him curious and wanting to get a look at the guy who everyone was fussing about. _The same guy who tried to hurt Kat and is making her so...unlike herself now. _

"No. Look, man, this is-this is grown-up stuff, all right? You just-you just let us handle this," Shane tells me and suggests that I go run off and do something. That he needed to go talk to Andrea. Kat had been doing other things, trying to keep herself calm with all the crap that was happening. She said she needed a few more hours sleep.

"Hey. That's a sweet hat. I'm Randall. What's your name? The sheriff guy...that your dad? I like him. Yeah, he's a good guy. I can tell. Your mom out here too? You're-you're lucky you still got your family. I lost mine. Hey, I- I don't know what people been saying about me, but I didn't do nothing. I swear," he said. _Liar._

"Your dad was gonna let me go till his friend started fighting with him. It got pretty bad. I-I was kinda worried. My camp, we got lots of supplies. You help me, I'll take you and your folks back to my people. We'll take good care of you. Keep you safe," he said as I climbed down to get a better look at him. He was bloody, his face had been hit multiple times and he looked crazy. What happened next I didn't expect to happen...

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Hey...have you seen Carl? I can't find him anywhere," I asked Andrea and Shane who were outside guarding the sun of a bitch who had tried to help the guy to rape me inside. I could hear something inside which made me wonder.

"Just gotta-...just gotta help me get out of here, okay? Just help me pick these locks or find the key, okay? Come on, please? Please?" I heard chains rattle and the sound of Randall's voice. What surprised me most was I heard a small little gasp. I wasn't the only one to hear it and opened the door quickly.

"What the hell are you doing in here?! What did you say to him?!" I shouted to Randall when his eyes widened. Carl was inside with him, close enough to possibly get himself hurt if it was possible. "What did you say to him, huh? Mother fucker! I'll kill you next time I see you! I swear it!" I shouted at Randall as I pulled Carl away from Randall. Punching Randall's face in as he cried and whimpered under my knuckles.

"Oh fuck! I didn't say nothing! I swear!" he pleaded noticing who I was. His eyes wide and his face was already bloody and bruised from Daryl's attack. _Fucker. You deserve to die! You were talking to my baby brother. _

"Hey, hey. Kat!" Andrea called to me, Shane had left me to punch him as much as I wanted. Andrea pulled me away and towards the door. Restraining me, I looked down at the bloodied face of Randalls. He barely moved and there was more blood than I thought possible come out of his mouth and cuts.

"Get your ass out this door. Let's go. What the hell were you doing?!" I asked Carl while Shane shut the door behind us as we left and I pulled him as far away from the place as I could.

"Please don't tell mom and dad," he pleaded, his blue eyes wide and his face gone paler than normal. _He's terrified of mom and dad more than what that fucker could have done to him in there!_

"Carl...you could've gotten hurt in there," I said to him, my voice cracking a little as I looked at him with sad eyes. _I don't ever want him in dangers way. But...he went in there...and for what?!_

"I can handle myself," Carl growled at me which made me look at him surprised. _He never talks to me like this. _Shane walked up to stand beside us, looking around and never at us while we discussed what just happened.

"Do not go near him again. Do you hear me? He was trying to manipulate you...maybe even hurt you like he tried to hurt me. Got it? It's what big sisters do. Protect their family...especially crazy little brothers," I said trying to take a firm but caring approach. He frowned and looked down.

"You won't tell mom and dad, will you?" he pleaded, I sighed and took a hard swallow. _I don't know what to say...what to do. They need to know that he did this and...I don't want to go against him. Maybe tell them privately and then tell them that I handled it. That he won't do it again?_

"Carl...this...this isn't about getting in trouble, okay? A guy like that, he will say anything to you. He'll try to make you feel sorry for him. He'll try to make you let your guard down," I tell him, trying to get him to look into my eyes. The entire time I had been talking to him, I had crouched to his level and kept my eyes on him.

"You let your guard down out here, people die. Now, just...do me a favor, man...go find your ma. Go on," Shane interupted our sad moment and made us look up at him. Carl turned to walk away. "Carl, quit trying to get yourself killed, man," Shane told Carl which made Carl run away and me to get to stand up straight, glaring at Shane's words.

"What the fuck?! Why did you just say that to him! He's a kid! He makes mistakes. Don't fucking try and pinpoint what he went through as his fault," I growled at Shane as I got up close and personal with him. Our faces inches apart, my eyes squinting to glare at him.

"Who should I pinpoint then huh? You?...your dad?" he asked trying to hurt me and...he did a little. He angered me more with these words. _The fucker. Trying to paint me the bad guy. Fuck you Shane. Fuck you._

"You bite your fucking tongue. I know I wasn't there when he was shot but...God...I would have given anything to take his place. To not let him suffer like he did. Now you...keep out of mine and my family's business. Keep away from my little brother you monster," I spat at him, fed up with his stupid words and trying to seem like he was the best around here.

"And...don't think that I don't know what you've been doing. You killed Otis, tried to kill my dad in more than one occasions...slept with my mom. Lied to my mom, lied to me, hit me, gone against my dad's and Hershel's rules and now...you're making my brother feel guilty. So I suggest you fucking shut up because next time...I'll make it even between the two of us by knocking your teeth out," I threatened, proving to him that I knew more about him and what he did than he thought I did.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"The whole point of me coming up here is...to get away from you people," I growled when I saw Dale walking up. I was cleaning up my crossbow and fixing the bolts I had. Making new ones and cleaning the old ones.

"Gonna take more than that," Dale said as he was swinging a stick and threw it to the ground. Stopping to prop his foot on a cut down tree stump. _Why don't people just leave me the fuck alone?_

"Carol send you?" I asked him, knowing that Carol was keeping a watchful eye on me since everything happened between Sophia and getting stabbed in the woods. _Woman needs to get off my back._

"Carol's not the only one that's concerned about you, your new role in the group," Dale tried to convince me that I was important now. _Like fuck am I important. No one notices me unless something's happened or if there is something they want me to do for them._

"Oh, man, I don't need my head shrunk. This group's broken. I'm better off fending for myself," I tell him, stating that I was better off doing things alone and not needing anyone for that matter. _People slow me down._

"You act like you don't care," Dale pointed out, as though he could look right through me. _He knows little then...because I don't care about what he thinks about me. Or Carol._

"Yeah, it's 'cause I don't," I inform him. Slipping my jacket and shit over my shoulders, letting them hang and grip onto my arms. Dale looked at me, holding onto the rifle strap and watching my every move.

"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" Dale asked me quizically. This made me scoff at the thought of Randall's life. _What a stupid fucking question. It doesn't matter what I think. What happens is what happens._

"Nope. Would rather see him dead anyway..." I tell him, being completely honest with my thoughts. Especially after what I found out when I was making that fucker's face more beautiful...and making sure he would never have kids.

"Why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life, if it really doesn't matter one way or the other?" he pleaded of me. Ignoring the fact I had told him that I would reather see the boy die than to see him live.

"Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch," I say as I fix up my collar and jacket. My knife back in place and trying to get comfortable. Dale hadn't moved since he stopped at that stupid stump.

"Your opinion makes a difference," he tells me, trying to make me feel important to this disfunctional group. _That is the biggest lie ever. Everyone wants this kid dead. _

"Man, ain't nobody looking at me for nothing," I tell him as I picked up my crossbow and began to walk away from him. _Why doesn't he just leave me alone already?_

"Carol is, and I am. Right now...and you obviously...you have Rick's ear," Dale tried to make me feel important again. _And...another lie. Bingo! Full mother fucking house! This group is filled with liers and murderers. _I turned to look at Dale surprised of his desperate way of talking to me.

"Rick just looks to Shane. Let him," I growled, walking closer to Dale to prove my point. _Rick doesn't look to anyone. Only Shane and sometimes Kat. Kat is the one who plays with his heart but Shane...he's the one who plays with Rick's head._

"You cared about what happened to Sofia. Cared what it meant to the group. You cared about when Kat went out there and almost got raped," he said which made me look at him stunned. _How the fuck did he know?_ "Torturing people? That isn't you. You're a decent man. So is Rick. Shane...he's different," he said which made me want to laugh.

"Why's that? 'Cause he killed Otis?" I asked as I looked at him, my face expressionless and my stance slightly intimidating. _We all know that was bullshit. Kat knows it...Lori knows it and so does Dale._

"He tell you that?" he asked me knowing that I had cracked the case. _Elementary my dear mother fucking Watson. This guy can be so fucking stupid sometimes. It was obvious that Shane lied._

"He told some story. How Otis covered him, saved his ass. He showed up with the dead guy's gun. Rick ain't stupid. If he didn't figure that out, it's 'cause he didn't wanna," I told him, pointing out the obvious like I did back in the residential home to Andrea. "It's like I said...group's broken," I said as I went to turn and walked off to go hunting. _Like I said...I'm observant._

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"So, uh The nights are getting colder and we're pretty exposed," Lori said as she walked up, watching me checking the noose I had prepared for Randall. For some reason...it felt heavier than what is should have.

"I was thinking...maybe we could clear this place out, station lookouts up here," I went to say but then noticed how Lori looked at me displeased with my idea. "Uh...or we could talk to Hershel about staying in the house," I corrected myself quickly.

"Yeah," she said and we agreed on it. "Is that really the best way to do this? To string him up?" she asked me as I kept checking the noose, the length and where exactly to position it.

"I have no idea. It's my first time. Look, I know how you feel about the death penalty, but-" I sighed and tried to reassure her that this was the right thing to do. _This had to be the right thing to do...surely. Please tell me it is. _

"And I know the world has changed. After everything that's happened, you, Kat and Shane agree on this," Lori said as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at me and watching me as I tried to figure this all out.

"So you support this decision?" I asked her, looking up at her and looking for answers. _Does she think this is right? That this is the best decision to make and what we needed to do? If she doesn't agree...what does it mean?_

"If you think it's best. Honestly Rick...he did try and assist in the rape of our daughter. Kat...she's not been taking the whole situation between the boy being here and the lack of sleep she gets these past few weeks. I worry about her...and I know you worry too," she said reassuringly, playing her motherly role correctly. Making me sigh and think of what was possibly going through our daughter's mind.

"You never did tell me what happened on the road with you and Shane," Lori said changing the subject after a few minutes we had of silence. Tying the noose tighter, I looked at her and then stood up.

"He won't be a problem anymore," I said as I looked to the ceiling, turning my back on her and trying to find a suitable place for this to hang from. Finding some suitable places, we decided to head out and spend time with our children.

"You need to control that boy," Carol called out to us, she was stood by the graves and was rushing after us, anger on her face and absolutely disgusted with something.

"Carl? What happened?" I asked curious as to what our son could have done to cause Carol to be like this. _What could he have possibly said to make Carol like this?_

"He's disrespectful," Carol pointed out as though it was a statement. _I've never heard this being said about Carl. What the hell did he do? _

"Did he say something?" I asked her, wanting to know exactly what he said that would offend Carol like this. Carol looked like she was about to lose it in seconds.

"Something cruel about Sophia," she told us which made me think over why that would be a problem. Sighing, I knew that Carl probably didn't mean it and that he was just having a rough time. _He's worried about Kat too and...maybe he had to take out his frustration somewhere. Carol was just the unfortunate one._

"We'll figure it out. It's okay," Lori tried to reassure Carol about what Carl did. Trying to make sure that Carl didn't get the full blame. That we would deal with it.

"It's not okay," Carol spoke back to Lori, un happy with trying to cover up for our son. _He's just a boy and we're all having a tough time now. Fuck...this needs to fucking go right. I want some peace. Just one day._

"I'll have-I'll have a talk with him," I say putting my hand up, trying to stop the argument from forming between the two women. "Carl! Come over here. Did you talk back to Carol?" I called to him as I followed after him. He stopped and walked towards me. Stopping we looked at each other.

"No," he said after I noticed a small hint of fear in his eyes. _He knows he got caught. That he did something wrong. He can't deny it when he knows he did._

"She says you did. You can't talk back to people like that," I tell him, trying to tell him that it wasn't right what he did and that he shouldn't of said that. _What could he have said?_

"I said it's stupid to believe in heaven. 'Cause it is," Carl told me which made me look away from him, thinking though how to explain to him that it was out of line for him to say that. His eyes and face were hard. As though he was telling the absolute truth. Like he knew what was real and what was fake. _Fuck...no wonder Carol is like that._

"Well, just think about that for a minute. She just lost her daughter. She wants to believe she's still alive in some way," I tried to explain. Hoping that maybe he would understand. _What if that was Kat? Would he still think it was stupid? Touch wood that Kat doesn't ever get in that position._

"But she-" Carl tried to say but I stopped him before he could go any futher. Any further to make himself forget that it wasn't right and to prevent him from mucking up again.

"Don't. Don't talk. Think. It's a good rule of thumb for life," I explain to him, teaching a lesson I never thought I would have to teach. _He's still acting like a kid. He needs to grow up and realize that this life ain't what it used to be. There can't be any more screw ups._

"Mom always wants you to talk more," he tried to change the subject. _What happens between me and his mom is between me and his mom. He doesn't need to get involved with that. Anyway...that's a different subject. _

"Don't change the subject. You owe Carol an apology. You made a mistake. Fix it," I tell him, my voice stern and scolding for what he had said to Carol. _I can't believe he wouldn't think over his choice of words. To say something like that to Carol. This isn't him._

"Is that why you're gonna kill that guy? Fixing your mistake?" he asked as I turned to walk away. This made me stop. _Is this really all it was about? What I would of had to do to the boy in the end either way. Fuck...what do I say?_

"That's different," I growled at Carl, unhappy with his way of trying to challenge me. _Where has this change of heart come from? Where did my boy go? Normally he wouldn't challenge me like this. Not even Kat challenges me like this in this new world or old._

"How are you gonna do it? Are you gonna hang him in the barn?" he asked probably overhearing our decisions and challenging me further. _What is he doing? This is so unlike him. What's got into him?_

"You just think about how you're gonna make things right with Carol. Don't talk. Think. You got it?" I said as I pointed to his chest. Trying to keep my voice stern and to not show any weakness by giving in to his questions.

"Yeah," he mumbled and nodding, I decided that was enough and walked away. _Hopefully he's learned his lesson. Maybe he'll stop when all this is over. He's probably just worried about Kat...like we all are._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"What's up, Dale?" I asked him as he walked up to me, I was clearing up a little the fire and trying to get some more wood for later that night. Trying to keep myself busy by not thinking about Randall.

"I wanna change your mind," he said softly which made my body tense. My jaw clenched, my eyes shut and had a sharp intake of breath. _It's like I can never run away from this fucking subject..._

"What, you serious? You deny we're in danger, Dale?" I asked him, knowing that he was possibly thinking that this boy was no threat at all. _He's a threat and we all know it. Dale needs to stop denying it and he needs to get over it._

"No, but there's a dozen of us, one of him," Dale tried to plead his case, to try and make me less worried but it didn't work for a second. _He really is delusional isn't he?_

"There's 30 of them!" I pointed out, spitting it out through clenched teeth and a tense body. _He is acting so fucking stupid. He's ignoring all the signs and the actual issues that could arise._

"Killing him doesn't change that. No...but it changes us. It changes you Kat," he said which punched me in the heart. _Did he really just say that? Like he really knew who I was? Yes...it might change what I believed in exactly. That...we shouldn't kill the living and especially when there is no proof but...there is proof._

"You're wrong about this, Dale. You're dead wrong. You know what changes someone?" I questioned him, getting to my feet and looking at him face to face. "No. I'll answer it for you. Almost being raped is something that changes you. I was out there-" I went to explain but he cut me off.

"I can understand that," he said cutting me off and trying to understand my point of view. _Did he...really?! What the hell! What a load of bullshit!_

"No. You don't. I was out there looking for a little girl who was dead all along. Only to be played around like some new toy by two men. Not to mention one of them is that prisoner we are keeping under a roof that you want to protect!" I explained, my voice filled with anger and disgust.

"Who instead of doing the right thing, by helping me...decided it would be best to hold me down so the man could gain his pleasures from me," I growled remembering the time when Randall did the wrong thing. "Not only that but...later today I found out he had be trying to convince my brother to let him out. I don't know if he was scared, doing things for survival or what...but...all I know is if that was me in that group...I would want to run the other direction!" I explained to him, showing exactly my point of view.

"Not try and get back to them like my father told me the guy pleaded! Like how he tried to manipulate my brother..." I revealed to him which made him look at me wide eyed. "So no Dale...I won't stand beside you...not when there is solid evidence that if we let that prick free...there will be a shitstorm coming our way. One of 30 men. I'm always going to do what's right for my family," I tell him, his mouth agaped as he stared at me.

"Let's gather up," dad declared to the group, all of us walking inside the house to go inside and to get this meeting started. To see where we all stood.

"Come on, Carl. I want you to stay with Jimmy," mom called to Carl, holding her arm out to place her hand on his back, leading him towards the stairs and walking beside him.

"But I wanna listen," Carl pleaded, I held the door opened and waited for them to come closer.

"Hm-mmm, not this time. Come on," mom denied him the pleasure of being there for the debate. Especially after what he had said to Carol and dad. Especially after what I was keeping from mom and dad for him.

"So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Glenn asked when we finally knew Carl was gone. I sat down on the chair my dad was supporting himself on. Sitting there I didn't even want to move.

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked, I stayed silent. Unmoving and not speaking up. _We all know what we want. We all know what's right. This boy needs to die. I don't feel safe with him being under our care. Not after everything that's happened..._

"How about majority rules?" mom suggested, I could tell mom had her fingers in her mouth. She too like Daryl would bite at her nails when she was nervous about something. Whereas Shane would rub his head and look around like he was losing his mind.

"Well, let's-let's just see where everybody stands, then we can talk through the options," dad said trying to be the reasonable leader. To take into account of all the opinions and possibilities we had in front of us.

"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward," Shane said and mentally I agreed with him. _After what Randall said to Carl...after all that's happened and what we found out. I can't risk knowing he would run back to his group first chance he got._

"Killing him, right? I mean, why even bother to even take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing," Dale spoke up, un happy with how no one was speaking up for the boy. Lowering my head, I sighed and felt my stomach twist...and turn.

"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know," dad tried to explain, I felt sick and I didn't know either to run and hide or just..._God...I don't know. What the fuck do I do?_

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group...maybe just me and Glenn," Dale spoke but Glenn stayed silent and unmoving.

"Look, I...I think you're pretty much right about everything, all the time, but this-" Glenn tried to reason his point of view but it only shook the anger Dale was holding inside him.

"They've got you scared," Dale shouted, surprised that Glenn was disagreeing with him on this topic. _Randall knows way too much and...we know way too much. They could end up coming back here to kill me for killing their friend. Killing dad and the rest of us for these guys called 'Dave and Tony'..._

"He's not one of us. And we've...we've lost too many people already," Glenn argued back, I ran my fingers through my hair that was in a pony tail. Gripping onto the strands that were loose. I heard footsteps come towards me.

"Hey...baby...are you all right?" mom's voice asked me as she rubbed my back soothingly, taking my hand and kissing the spot which always seemed to relax me. Sighing I looked up at her and nod. She was crouching, looking at me from her position and worry was in her eyes.

"How about you? Do you agree with this?" Dale asked the Greene family as some people looked to me, trying to pull the attention away from me and mom's moment. The moment of me almost crumbling.

"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" Maggie asked, her spiritual side probably telling her that death wasn't the answer. _Keeping him tied up and locked away won't solve our problem._

"Just another mouth to feed," Daryl said which made me shut my eyes again for another moment. _I felt as though I needed to throw up. Like I needed to let go of all the nerves that were building in my body._

"It may be a lean winter," Hershel spoke up.

"We could ration better," mom said as she stood up, standing beside me and leaning against the chair I was sat on. She didn't leave my side and would rub circles into my back as to calm me down.

"Well, he could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself," Dale tried to convince us. _Yeah...when the prick is so eager to leave us and to go back to his fucking group._

"Put him to work?" Glenn spoke which made my eyes widen, looking to dad I could sense he could see the panick in my eyes.

"We're not letting him walk around," dad spoke as he looked down at me. His facial expression was serious as he spoke. _He is thinking about me. About how tough it is for me right now._

"We could put an escort on him," Maggie suggested but this made me feel sick. _Yeah...let's put Andrea who let my brother get close enough to him and possibly get Carl killed._

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane teased sarcastically. _No one. If I'm near him...I promised that I would kill him. I mean it._

"I will," Dale stood up, hopeful that they would agree with him. _Yeah...and let Dale get knocked out by some prick and let him escape. Not a chance._

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy," dad said firmly, my eyes glued to the floor and my stomach churned. Trying to empty all the contents that were in my stomach but I stayed strong. Trying to over come my nerves.

"He's right. I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up," mom said as she massaged the back of my head, looking at me as she spoke. _She knows she's not the only one who isn't safe. Me...Carl...dad and even Randall from me._

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles, sentence him to hard labor," Andrea said slightly sarcastic with a dry tone to her voice. _She doesn't like the thought of Randall alive too. Especially not keeping him here like some sort of slave._

"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful...maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his 30 men," Shane suggested which made me nod. _Oh he would and will...I know it._

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt? If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization," Dale pleaded as though he was a dying men in need of grasping onto something.

"Oh, my God," Shane mumbled and turned away for a moment. _Dale's hope...shit. It's the thought of keeping our humanity. Of being the civil people we used to be._

"Could you drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" Hershel asked as we all stood there unsure of how to go about with this information and point of views.

"You barely came back this time," mom said while looking over her shoulder at dad. Her hand still pressed against my back and some eyes were on me. "There are walkers. You could break down. Y-you could get lost," mom said trying to convince dad that it was a bad idea.

"Or get ambushed," Daryl stated which made me shut my eyes tightly, trying to take in deep breaths as not to spill my meals. The thought of those men finding us...destroying us of what we have...killing us. It struck fear into me.

"They're right. We should not put our own people at risk," Glenn stated which made me look up at him. _What the fuck are we to do then? God...this is just us going around in circles._

"If you go through with it, how would you do it? Would he suffer?" Patricia asked, her voice sad and disappointed that we would have to consider this option. _I don't fucking know anymore. All I know is what we've seen, been through and heard._

"We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck," Shane suggested as he looked to dad.

"I thought about that. Shooting may be more humane," dad answered which made me look at him surprised. _Wouldn't walkers hear? Does he really want to put us at risk like that?_

"And what about the body? Do we bury him?" T-Dog asked which made me purse my lips, clench my jaw and glare at T-Dog. _We are not burying a man who tried to rape me. We bury the ones we love. No one loves that asshole here as far as I can tell._

"Hold on, hold on! You're talking about this like it's already decided!" Dale stopped us before we could decide. His arms waving around like a mad man as he tried to stop us from deciding the boys fate.

"You've been talking all day, going around in circles. You just wanna go around in circles again?" Daryl asked, hearing him pacing around behind me and Dale look at him incredulously.

"This is a young man's life, and it is worth more than a five-minute conversation! Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him and now look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?" he questioned us which made us turn silent. _He's right...but we need to protect ourselves from the inevitable if we were to let him free._

"We all know what needs to be done," Shane said which made me lower my head again, causing mom to take my hand, rubbing it soothingly and kissing it from time to time. _This is just one huge headache..._

"No, Dale is right. We can't leave any stone unturned here. We have a responsibility-" dad spoke trying to reason to us all and only making my head spin more. _I can't take anymore of this. It's driving me crazy!_

"So what's the other solution?" Andrea asked as she stepped up.

"Let Rick finish," mom tried to stop her but dad fell silent.

"We haven't come up with a single viable option yet. I wish we could," Andrea tried to reason, to try and make us all see straight. _I think we're all losing it. This is driving me crazy._

"So let's work on it!" Dale shouted angered. I felt my body shiver, from the fear and the sick feeling I had. _I want some fucking peace. For one fucking day. I don't get any sleep. Not since Sophia was lost. I haven't had a chance to relax and to feel like I wasn't being strangled for a second!_

"We are," Daryl spoke up but we were quickly silenced by an aggitated Carol.

"Stop it! Just stop it. I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide something like this. Please decide...either of you, both of you. But leave me out," Carol said as she looked to them all. _Hopefully we can get some peace with this...I just want to not have to worry. Even if it's only for a moment._

"Not speaking out or killing him yourself-there's no difference," Dale said trying to courner us. I was fed up. Sick and tied of this bullshit.

"Shut up Dale. Please!" I said getting to my feet. "Now...we all have our opinions. I get that. But this guy...assisted in the attempt of rape towards me. Has tried to run away back to his people...has raped before me...and...I just am sick and tired of this arguing. Leave me out of it. I have had enough of people asking me if I'm all right and if I have an opinion on this," I began, my anger reaching to the roof.

"Yes! I do. I won't sit around here get talked down to by anyone else! I'm tired of it! I haven't had sleep in...God knows how long. Now...if you want to know what I think. I think we do what's best to keep us safe. One thing's for sure...I'll do anything to make sure we are safe," I tell them and sat back down. Mom went to comfort me. Kissing the top of my head and others looked at me with sad eyes.

"All right, that's enough. Anybody who wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance," dad said trying to keep us all calm, he gently placed his hand to rest on my shoulder. He knew I was going through a lot these weeks. We were all fed up. People sat down and stayed silent.

"You once said that we don't kill the living," Dale said out to us. Reminding us all of Jim and when he was bitten.

"Well, that was before the living tried to kill us and tried to rape my daughter," dad growled unhappy with Dale's constant defending of the boy who tried to hurt me...and Carl.

"But don't you see? If we do this, the people that we were. The world that we knew is dead...and this new world is ugly. It's...harsh! It's-it's survival of the fittest! And that's a world I don't wanna live in, and I don't-...and I don't believe that any of you do. I can't. Please. Let's just do what's right," Dale pleaded to us, showing us his side of the argument. His beliefs. "Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?" he asked us.

"He's right. We should try to find another way," Andrea said, standing up. _She probably feels sad that he's all alone on his side of the argument. That there is no one who will agree with him. Especially not after what I had just said._

"Anybody else?" dad asked, sounding tired and just wanting to get this all over and done with. _Believe me dad...I want this over just as much as you do. _

"Are y'all gonna watch, too? No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. Whoa...I won't be a party to it," Dale said as he began to walk away. "This group is broken," he said as he stopped to look at Daryl.

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><p><strong>CPOV<strong>

Kat and mom were down by the camp site, by the fire. Kat was playing the guitar, trying to mask any sound of possible gun fire. Telling mom and Kat that I was going to the house to go to the toilet, they let me walk towards it. Going another direction, I decided to go and see what was taking dad so long. "Would you like to stand or kneel?" I heard dad ask Randall.

"Oh, no, please. Ple-ah-ah-ah," Randall whimpered but was soon shuffling. Someone grabbed him and threw him to the floor. _Maybe he's kneeling...maybe someone knocked him out?_

"Do you have any final words?" dad asked him firmly, dully and I was slowly creeping up to see what was going on. _I'm fed up of being kept in the dark. I want to know and see what happens to the guy who tried to hurt my sister._

"No, please. Please don't. Don't," Randall begged, his voice shaking and whimpering at dad. _He's scared and confused. He knows what's going on and doesn't want it to happen._

"Do it, dad. Do it," I say when I finally see them. Stepping inside and encouraging dad. Dad had his gun pointed up, Daryl and Shane were there with him. Randall was blindfolded and tied up, on his knees and pleading for his life.

"Are you kidding me? What'd I say to you? What did I say to you?" Shane asked me as he tried to pull me away from the scene. Angry with what happened just that second and earlier today.

"Take him away. Take him away," dad ordered when he looked at Randall and lowered his gun as he looked at me.

"Get up," Daryl growled as he picked the boy up to his feet and dragged him out the barn. Dad stood there staring at me, watching me and his eyes were scared, worried and unsure of what to do.

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"We're keeping him in custody, for now," dad said as he walked towards us, Carl was closely with him. This was when I placed the guitar down and knew he lied to us. He went to go see Randall get shot.

"I'm gonna find Dale," Andrea said happily as she went on search for the elder man. _Of course Dale would be happy about this. The boy gets to live another day..._

"Carl, go inside. Now, please," mom ordered of Carl when she too realized that he had sneaked off to go looking for dad. To watch the execution take place.

"He followed us. He wanted to watch. I couldn't," dad tried to explain to us, mom looking at him sadly and I just looked down. _I wanted Carl safe...not seeing someone getting killed. _

"That's okay," mom said pleased with his decision. Pulling him into a hug and dad looked over her shoulder, his eyes on mine and they looked sad...disappointed.

"Yeah dad...that's okay," I agreed, going over to them and joining their hug. _He didn't want Carl to see what was going on. Can I really hate him for that? No...I can't. Anyway...we don't know if the guy should die or not. I just...I don't know what to do anymore._

"Kat...I-" dad went to say, his hand cupping my cheek and his eyes were sad as they stared into mine. He was about to continue but was cut off by screaming in the distance. "Get Carl!" dad told us as he went to look at what was going on.

"Chip!" I called out for Carl, he ran out and looked at me worried. Mom stood beside me but both of us reached to Carl, mom taking a hold of him.

"What happened?" he asked us confused as to why someone was screaming. _Judging by the sound...it's a man. I will always protect Carl. Even when he doesn't know it._

"Come here. Come here," mom told him as she grabbed him and crouched to his level. Grabbing my weapons, I ran towards where dad had ran off to.

"T-dog, get a shotgun now!" dad shouted as he made his way back to us. Carl looked at us confused, worried and unsure of what to do. _He's scared. _

"I want you to go in the house, I want you to lock the door and I want you to stay inside," mom told him as I went to go with dad, both of us running to the field and towards where the screaming came from.

Reaching where the screaming came from, I was shocked to see that Daryl had saved Dale from being bit but...that Dale had been pulled apart from his stomach. "All right, just listen to my voice. Listen to me, all right? Just listen to me. Okay, hold on now. Get Hershel!" dad tried to calm the dying Dale as he got to his knees beside him.

Falling to my knees, I sat there frozen and paralyzed. _What the hell? Oh my God...what do we do? Fuck...I...FUCK! _I didn't know what to do other than sit there and hope that Dale could be saved by Hershel.

People kept speaking over one another. Others gathered and Andrea sat beside Dale, caressing his face and looking into his eyes. Dale couldn't speak...couldn't move and could only look at us, his mouth agape and eyes wide.

"What happened?" Hershel said as he got close to us, looking down at the scene and sadly...we all knew Dale couldn't be fixed. _He won't make it...plus...doesn't this count as a walker scratch?_

"What can we do?" dad asked, his voice shaking and Dale panting. The sight was one of pure shock. There was no way Dale would survive unless we could do the operation where he was laid. "Can we move him?" dad asked Hershel.

"He won't make the trip," Hershel tried to explain. _It would be impossible to move him anyway. His guts are spilling out. He's...dying. _

"You have to do the operation here. Glenn, get back to the house," dad ordered and looked back down to Dale. Andrea hadn't left his side and was crying silently to him.

"Rick," Hershel said as he placed his hand on my dad's shoulder. Dad was now on his feet and Hershel shook his head when dad's eyes met his. This made dad look at him, swallow a heavy lump and shake his head.

"No!" dad cried realizing that Dale was now to die. _There is no chance Dale can survive this...no chance. _This was when everyone cried or panted, unsure of how to take it. I was frozen, unable to cry and unable to move. I saw Carl head towards us, stood beside me and walked closer to examine what was going on.

"Oh, God," I heard Carl cry. He walked away from the scene and fell into my arms. He sobbed into my chest and all I could do was hold him tightly. _He's seen so much death...so much destruction. This isn't what I want for him. I still have hope._

"He's suffering. Do something!" I pleaded when I realized the pain behind Dale's face. Every gasp he took, every wide eyed head movement and groan of pain. He was unable to form words and we needed to show some mercy to him. To get him out of this endless torture.

"Oh, God," Andrea cried when she saw my dad raise his gun. Dad's aim was directly to Dale's head but...he took his time. _He's losing it too. He...he has to do the hard decisions. The things that burden us. Sophia...Jim...and now Dale. He takes the hard tasks that need to be done. Not Shane._

Daryl stepped up and gently placed his hand onto dads. Taking the gun from him when he realized dad didn't have the courage to pull the trigger. _Not courage...heart. He knows that it's been though for us all and this...was just another rock in our path._ "I'm sorry, brother," Daryl said after he got to his knees. Clutching onto Carl tightly she he didn't have to see, I waited and then...**Bang.**

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><p><strong>Hey guys...I know I've been a little mean and greedy with reviews so...sorry...and here you go. Enjoy and I hope you can forgive me. Please review if you wish. I would appreciate it...but I understand if you don't. Now...soon I might do a few more chapters and throw them at you. So you can enjoy a good few chapters to read during this christmas like...a christmas present! But...there is one favour I would like. <strong>

**A whopping 10 reviews for the Season 2 finale! Which...we be a blast. Believe me. Then I have maybe 1 or 2 chapters extra before season 3. So...yep. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave me a review! I want to know what you think, what you would like to see happen and where you would like this story to go.**

**Ohhh! Wait! We don't have a ship name for any of our characters! Which would you like? Mention them in the reviews please! We have one more chapter and then it will be the season finale!**

**Now...replies! AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

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><p><strong> Jessica. orr .1884: Thank you for your review dear! Yes...hope this fullfilled your idea of what Daryl would be like. Internally yes...he was mad with the whole idea of Randall and Kat but...still...he beat the living hell out of Randall. Especially when he heard about the rape.<strong>

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Oh sweetie. You're not an idiot. It was kind of subtle anyway. The way I wanted it to be. So thank you! I wanted it to be a surprise anyway. Like...to challenge Kat and what was wrong and right to her. Which...you'll have already seen in this chapter. Love you too!<strong>

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><p><strong>Much love! And Merry Christmas!<strong>

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	17. Chapter 17: Schemes

Chapter 17: Schemes

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~3 days ago~_

_"Kat?" Carl's small voice called out to me. I turned to look at him and saw him stood by the tent door and looking slightly worried. I was curious as to what exactly could have him like this._

_"Yeah?" I asked him, keeping my voice calm and collected. Even though there was a storm in my mind I needed to keep it a calm sea so that Carl wouldn't worry. _

_"Do you think dad will be fine with Shane and that Randall guy?" he asked me, his voice slightly scared and worried as to what could happen. I too was worried as I felt dad had taken the wrong person to join him in this task._

_"He'll be fine. Dad's as tough as nails," I tell him trying to reassure him that dad will be fine. If he had survived the journey he took to get back to us...he could survive anything. _

_"Good...are...you all right with all of this?" he asked me curious as to how I was feeling. He stepped in and watched me as I tried to fix up the tent a little, placing things where they were meant to and fixing the bed. _

_"I'll be fine...I'm just...tired," I tell him and he looked at me sad. His blue eyes were slightly dark with the sadness they had in them. It made my heart sink and my body sigh in my own sadness towards my baby brother._

_"Oh..." he said slightly sad, his eyes on the floor and his feet. Smiling slightly I looked to him and moved closer to get to him._

_"Want to read a comic book while protecting me? So that I can get some rest?" I asked trying to comfort him and to make a deal. Knowing he would want me safe and well rested after all the sleepless nights I've been having as of late._

_"Sure," he said with a small smile. The two of us cuddled up in bed as I tried to sleep and he laid down reading his comic book. Taking care of me and myself trying to get some needed rest..._

* * *

><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

"Dale could-...could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another," dad said as we all surrounded Dale's grave.

"I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us-...the truth. Who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together," my head was lowered to pay respects, my mind in my own thoughts and I just held Carl to my side.

"stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives...our safety...our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on...we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale," dad spoke as we all eventually left. The whole time, Carl was by my side, his arm around me, holding me to him and he cried. I couldn't cry. Not now...not ever. I could not bring myself to cry about anyone else anymore.

"It'll be tight. 15 people in one house," dad said as we were all gathering up supplies and preparing for the long day we had ahead of us. People were either moving things into the house, securing the fences, preparing Randall for later or fixing up things around the farm.

"Don't worry about that. With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up..." Hershel spoke as I stood beside dad, sharpening my knife and machete as the two ment spoke. Maggie stood beside me and listening in to their conversation like I was.

"With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell," Maggie spoke, finishing her dads sentence which made me smile and look at dad. _It's funny...they think alike. Just like me and dad think alike at times. We all have our moments._

"She's right. We should've moved you in a while ago," Hershel agreed with his daugher. _Who knew that so much animals in the farm could attract more walkers. Wouldn't exactly surprise me..._

"All right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out toward the road. We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines both sides of the property," dad spoke as he looked around the farm, pointing at all directions. "T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going," dad instructed T-Dog of his job.

"What about standing guard?" T-Dog asked as he pointed to where we were keeping Randall. My heart pounding a little and my stomach churning at the thought of him still here...still under our protection.

"I need you and Daryl on double duty. But for now...Kat will watch over him," dad said to T-Dog but then looked to me. Studying my expression and my eyes were wide. Taking a gulp, I nod and stayed silent. My eyes shut from the task my dad wanted me in charge of.

"Gotcha," T-Dog said as he went to walk away, doing what was asked of him and I just stayed silent. Trying to calm myself down from the fact that I had to stay and guard the asshole. Mom walked towards me and pressed a kiss to my temple. _She knows I'm worried again._

"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be," Hershel said as he carried a stack of things towards the house, leaving me, mom, dad, Shane and Andrea alone.

"What about patrols?" Andrea asked as she stepped up, Shane was leaning against the truck and waiting for the answer. Mom wrapped an arm around me back, her hand resting on my arm and she gently rubbed it to sooth me.

"Let's get this area locked down first. After that, Shane'll assign shifts while me and Daryl take Randall offsite and cut him loose," dad explained making me feel a little more relieved. _He'll be gone. Hopefully he will never return. If we're lucky._

"We're back to that now?" Shane asked stunned and concerned when it came to the plan. _Why is he always going against my dad? It's like he can never agree...it doesn't matter what comes out of my dad's mouth now. Shane doesn't agree with anything._

"It was the right plan first time around. Poor execution," dad explained, reminding me how they both showed up, bloody, cut and bruised. All with that shit bird at the back with his hands and legs tied up again. Like nothing had happened other than obvious danger for the two.

"That's a slight understatement," Shane said as he looked away and then back to dad. _See what I mean? Always complaining. Fucker._

"You don't agree, but this what's happening. Swallow it. Move on," dad ordered of him. Not playing the nice guy anymore and fed up with Shane always going against his say. _Doesn't surprise me. Shane is being an ass._

"You know that Dale's death and the prisoner...that's two separate things, right? You wanna take Daryl as your wingman, be my guest," Shane asked mockingly. As though Daryl wasn't any better than him. _Shane is far from perfect. Daryl or dad aren't perfect but at least they aren't at each others throats over my mom._

"Thank you," dad mumbled as he turned away and walked off. Leaving me and mom with Shane. Mom pressed another kiss to my temple, patted my arm and walked off.

"You got it," Shane mumbled as I walked off after my dad, heading towards the farm and to where my job was meant to be. _Time to baby sit Randall..._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kat?" Carl called to me as I sat down beside the shed, looking at it to make sure Randall wasn't getting out. Daryl was getting the wooden planks ready to seal off where Carl had somehow managed to enter in order to speak to Randall the other day.<p>

"What's up, Carl? What you doing, wandering around by yourself?" I asked him curious. _He's meant to be with mom. Not wandering around and being here with me. _

"If, um...if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell mom and dad?" he asked me shyly, this made me curious as to what he would want to keep from them. _This boy has been getting himself into a lot of trouble lately. _

"I don't know...it depends on what you're going to tell me," I admit. _I'm not going to lie to him. I'm never going to lie to him. Ever. _

"I took it from Daryl's motorcycle. If he found out I took it, he'd kill me," Carl whispered, looking up to see if Daryl was shifting any more wooden planks over to the small roof where Carl had slipped into.

"What are you doing with this?" I asked confused. _I thought he was already given a gun. Why would he need or want Daryls? This is just getting weird and confusing. There's something he's not telling me._

"Dale. It's my fault that he died," he told me which made me more confused. Making him come closer to me, I looked at him but he shied his eyes away from mine. _He can't be serious...can he?_

"Carl, why would you say that? He got killed by a walker. Why-" I went to ask but he handed me the gun, checking it quickly it worked and had ammo in it. _What is going on in this mind of his?_

"I saw that walker. I was gonna shoot it. When he was stuck in the mud. I was-...I was throwing rocks at him and stuff. But I was gonna do it. Shoot it right in the head...and it...it got free, came after me and I ran away. If I had killed it, Dale would still be here," Carl said, his eyes on the ground as she shuffled, stood in front of me and never looking me in the eyes. Cutting me off from my questions with his answers.

"Carl, I want you to stop that, okay? This isn't your fault...but you need to hold onto this," I tell him as I tried to hand him the gun. "You need to protect yourself. As long as I'm around you, nothing's going to happen to you, Carl. But I can't keep my eyes on you 24/7 or mom...or dad. Only you can do that. Carl, take it," I try and convince him, knowing he knew how to use it and that he needed to always be safe.

"I'm never touching another gun again," Carl growled as he took steps away from me, away from the gun and kept walking away. His eyes angry, shocked and sad. _He's scared of...something. But what?_

"That isn't an option, Carl, okay?" I tell him, trying to convince him it was all right. Handing the gun to him again, he didn't want to take it. Instead he shoved his hands in his pockets and rushed to keep away from me.

"Just give it back to Daryl!" he told me as his steps were longer and further away from me. Faster he walked away from me, turining his back and leaving me there. My head hung low. _Why do I feel like I'm failing him...failing my family?_

"Hey Daryl?..." I called as I walked up the ladder, hoping that he wasn't disturbed by me wanting to talk to him. He was kneeling, nailing boards down on the hole Carl had squeezed in through and spoke to Randall.

"What?!" Daryl growled as he turned towards me voice, angered and disturbed. As though he was fed up with anyone looking for him. "Oh...hey. Sorry about-," Daryl went to appologize. His eyes slightly sad, a nail in his mouth and hammer in his hand.

"No. It's okay. I just...I wanted to talk to you. About some issues that have come up...and...well...I don't know who else to turn to. Especially since you're the only one slightly involved in this..." I say as I couldn't look at him. My eyes shying away like Carl did seconds ago. _Fucking Carl telling me not to tell mom and dad..._

"Well...what is it?" Daryl asked as he got to his feet, pulling the nail out from between his teeth and dropping the hammer. Walking to me he picked up a cloth and wiped at his hands. His face and hands were already mucky from the work. This made me smile slightly, one side of my lips curving into the smile.

"This..." I said as I pulled out the gun from my pants, behind my back and showed it him. "Carl took it from your motorbike. He says...that Dale died because of him. He went out there...found the walker and...ran away scared," I tell him as I didn't meet his eyes.

"I want to help him, reassure him that it's okay to be afraid from time to time but...that it wasn't his fault. That...he needs to defend himself when me or my parents aren't there to save him," I tell him and looked up at him. His eyes would glance down at the gun and then back up at me.

"So why didn't he keep it?" he asked me unsure of where I was going with this. His voice was rough, edgy and one of those voices that made me shiver. _Why am I shivering?_ He looked at me with those piercing blue eyes and seemed confused as to why I would be telling him this.

"Dale. He said he was going to shoot the walker but...he didn't. That his fooling around caused the death of Dale. I don't know what to do Daryl. He won't listen and...I don't know if I should tell my parents. Carl asked me...no. _Pleaded_. That I keep it secret," I tell him, feeling lost and frustrated with these past few days...the situations we've been in and now this whole wreck.

"Then...the only way I see it is...tell your dad. He'll know what to do. Sometimes...a father is the best man to go to for a boy. Sometimes. I can't guarantee it will work," he tells me as he shrugged and turned his back on me, wiping his hands again and dropping the cloth to the floor.

"Thank you Daryl...I need to ask you two more favours..." I called out to him, my voice quiet and insecure of him even doing these favours. He slowly turned to look at me and looked at me curiously. _God...please be on my side for this. Let him do as I ask._

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"Take him out to Senoia- hour there, hour back, give or take. We may lose the light, but we'll be halfway home by then," Rick said as he pointed down at the map, looking towards the distance as he spoke. Somehow I felt...a little intimidated by him. _Why the fuck am I intimidated by him?_

"This little pain in the ass will be a distant memory. Good riddance," I growled. Thinking about Kat and how she spoke about the situation last night...it made me sad. _Girl's having a real tough time. She needs a fucking break and...her dad is trying to do right by her. Gotta respect that. _

"Carol's putting together some provisions for him, enough to last a few days.  
>That thing you did last night-" he said as I sat down, my hands shoved into my pockets and I turned my head slightly to look at him.<p>

"Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting," I say thinking about last night. _Rick's been doing the things that not many people have the balls to do it. Not even Shane has the balls to kill those people we cared about. Sophia...Dale. They're gone now._

"So are you good with all this?" Rick asked me. His blue eyes watching the distance where we saw Kat walk towards us. _He seems curious as to what's wrong with her. Overall...I think he's a good father. He cares about his children. Not like my dad._

"I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road. Nobody'd win that fight," I told him as he handed me the folded up map and we looked to Kat. Rick stood still, watching her with sadness and curiousity in his eyes. The blue eyes that Kat had inherited from him. "I'm gonna take a piss," I spoke as I got up and left the two to be alone. Knowing that Kat needed to talk to him.

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Hey, dad have you seen Carl lately?" I asked dad as I got close enough to him, a few feet down in comparison and looked up at him. He seemed slightly tense and curious as to why I was here. As to why I had cut the chat between him and Daryl short.

"He's inside with mom. What are you doing here? I thought you were on guard duty of Randall?" he asked me curiously. _Yep...you gave me the worst job here. The one where I babysit the fucker who assisted in the attempted rape._

"Look...dad...he came to me. Okay, I wasn't supposed to say anything, but he was out in the swamps yesterday and he came across a walker stuck in the mud.  
>He got scared. Ran off," I tell him, his eyes watching me as he stayed stood above on the porch.<p>

"The same walker that killed Dale?" dad asked as he looked away for a second. _He's clever. What can I expect? He was a cop and now...he's still our dad._

"That's the one," I tell him. Agreeing with what he had suspected. _He must of seen it too. The way Carl was so sad and angered about Dale's death. How he frozen when he examined the walker that killed Dale._

"I'll have your mom talk to him," dad went to say which stunned me. _Mom? Is he sure? I mean...the best conversations that always made me see sence was always the ones I had with dad._

"Listen, dad, I think-...I think he wants to talk to his father," I try to convince him, stepping up to the stairs that led to the porch, he looked at me, watching my every move and rested his hands on his hips.

"Well, I need this Randall thing done already," he tells me, looking away a second and then back at me. His voice firm just like his stance. _He means it._

"Dad...believe me...that needs to wait, okay?" I try and convince him again. Reassuring him that Randall wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon.

"I can't keep him here any longer Kat. Not for you and not for anyone else here," he tried to explain to me which made me want to hug him but hit him at the same time. _Is he really putting Randall and me before Carl?!_

"You know dad...Carl? He gave me this," I said as I pulled out the gun and slamned it down on the table. Angered with how he spoke. "Now...if we want him to stay alive, I don't want him to fear this out of the guilt he's feeling. He needs to have a conversation with you dad. I've tried to make him see sence but...I of all people know that sometimes it's better to have a conversation with you," I tell him hoping he would remember all the times he had shown me the light. To see what was really true. What was really there.

"Now...don't worry about Randall. He can stay a prisoner for as long as he needs to be. 5 minutes...5 hours. I don't care. All I know is the reason we do this is to protect the ones we love and to make sure that we are doing what's right...we need to remember the whole reason why we're doing this," I say as I looked at dad. His eyes were soft but hard. As though he..._wait. Is that pride in his eyes?_

"Carl. He is the reason we are handling the Randall situation. Why we keep going...Carl needs you dad. Before he dies from the fear of protecting himself...we need to help him. _You_ need to help him. He needs you dad and only you to show him the way," I tell him and he just nods. Placing his hand on my cheek and stroking it with his thumb. _I did it. I made dad realize that Carl is more important right now..._

"Mom said you'd be here," dad said as he took a seat beside Carl. I was stood down by a pillar, watching dad and Carl sit beside each other. Carl was on the look out and was sat at the open window like perch.

"Told her I would stand lookout. I got tired of helping around the house," he told him as he placed the binoculars to the side and looked at dad. The shilouets of the pair made me lean against the pillar, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Take it. What happened to Dale had nothing to do with you," dad said as he held out the gun I had given him earlier. The gun that Carl had given me earlier. _Please take it and listen to him Carl...please._

"He-he died, dad," Carl said sadly, as though he was about to cry about it again. This made me frown and look at him sadly. _Poor Carl...I know how it feels to be thinking you're the one to blame. I was to blame for Sophia's death whereas Dale wasn't the same situation._

"Yeah. Yeah. Feels like there's a lot of that going around. That's why I need you. No more kid stuff. I wish you could have the childhood I had, but that's not gonna happen. People are gonna die. I'm gonna die...Kat...Mom. There's no way you can ever be ready for it," dad tried to convince him. This made me smile sadly. Thinking of this new world and Carl like this.

"I try to be, but I can't. The best we can do now is avoid it as long as we can, keep one step ahead. I wish I had something better to say, something...something more profound. My father was good like that. But I'm tired, son. Please take it," dad said which made me think of gradpa, a smile on my lips as I saw Carl take the gun from dad and dad rest his arm over Carls shoulders...

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><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

_~o~_

_"Thank you Daryl...I need to ask you two more favours..." Kat asked me, I was getting ready to continue my work when I heard this and turned to look at her curiously and walked to her slowly. _What could she possibly ask from me?

_"What are they?" I asked her in retun, curious as to what she would ask me for. Her bright blues were shy and then suddenly flashed up at me from under her lashes. _Fuck.

_"That one...start a conversation with my dad. When you see me make my way towards you, walk away and let me talk to him about this. Two...keep this between you and me. Act like you don't know where your gun is," she suggested, her voice was strict and serious, much like her fathers when he was giving orders._

_"Fine...but I ain't promising anything," I growled at her as I went to continue my work again, my back to her and I could feel her eyes still watching me. _Why doesn't she just leave? Didn't she ask me for a favour and I agreed...kinda.

_"And Daryl?" she called to me again, making me turn to look at her and stop on my tracks again. "Thanks for what you did last night...for Dale...for my dad. We all appreciate it," she said kindly, a sparkle in those blue eyes of her as she looked as innocent as her brother does._

_"Whatever," I growled not wanting to seem like I cared about what her or anyone else thought about me. _It's because I don't care and never will. My time of caring is over. _Turning my back, I continued with the work and she went back to watching over Randall._

_~o~_

"Only got so many arrows," T-Dog said as he walked over to me, fixing up the truck for the voyage to take Randall off to wherever we were going. T-Dog presented to me a gun and showed me the gun as he stopped beside me.

"Is that Dale's gun?" I asked as I took it from him gladly, checking the ammo and its condition. _Seems all right. Not exactly my gun but...it will work._

"Yeah," T-Dog informed me. _Knew it._

"Wish I knew where the hell mine is," I said after a few seconds of deliberating whether to say this or the truth. _I'll go along with Kat's favour. For her...and Carl._

"Ready?" Rick asked me as he got towards us, taking my crossbow and placing it on the front seat, I looked at him and saw that he was walking towards us from the direction of the barn. _Maybe he was talking to Kat there? Or maybe Kat convinced him that he needed to talk to Carl?_

"Yeah," I answered him quietly, getting ready to get into the car and looked back at him.

"I'll get the package," T-Dog said as he examined the truck, tapping it and leaving us there. I got into the seat and waited for Rick to get inside and for Randall to be dragged towards us.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"What's wrong?" I asked as I got close to Andrea, dad, T-Dog and Daryl who were all stood either inside or outside the open shed. My panick rose as I thought about the fucker in there.

"Randall's missing," Daryl told me and this was when my eyes widened. _Oh fuck..._

"Missing? How?" I asked my panick starting to drive me crazy, I was worried and my heart was pounding.

"How long's he been gone?" Hershel asked curious as to what happened to the prisoner we were about to send off today.

"What's goin' on?" Maggie asked as the entire group got closer to us.

"It's hard to say. The cuffs are still hooked. He must' slipped 'em," dad said as he stepped outside. _Wait...where's Shane?_

"Is that possible?" Carol asked as she peeked inside, Andrea was making her way out and Hershel stood beside dad.

"It is if you've got nothing to lose," Andrea explained with her best reason as to why he would of done this.

"The door was secured from the outside," Hershel informed us and this made my stomach churn. _Something isn't right._ Judging by the look on dad's face...he knew something was up too.

"Rick! Rick!" we all turned towards the shouting and saw Shane rush up towards us, his face bloody and his walk was wobbly. As though something terrible had happened to him that left him slightly dazed.

"What happened?" mom asked panicked. Stepping up to look towards the distance at Shane who was getting closer with every step.

"He's armed! He's got my gun!" Shane shouted as he got closer and Carl grabbed onto my hand, his eyes searching at Shane in the distance.

"Are you okay?" Carl asked of Shane as Shane came up and stood in our group. Looking down at Carl and then back up to the rest of us.

"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face," Shane said as dad looked out, standing in front of us all and looking to Shane.

"All right, Hershel, Glenn, get everybody back in the house. Kat, Daryl, come with us," dad instructed as Daryl got his crossbow at the ready, my weapons were all on me, sharp and clean. Ready for a fight.

"T, I'm gonna need that gun," Shane shouted as I felt my mom and Carl grab me as though they didn't want me to go. Getting out of their reach I gave them a look of reassurance. _I'll be fine. He tried to hurt me once...it won't happen again. Not with Shane, dad and Daryl by my side._

"Just let him go. That was the plan, wasn't it? To just let him go?" Carol asked as we all got ready to leave. T-Dog handing Shane the gun he had and I walked closely beside Daryl the two of us staring directly at dad and Shane.

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun," dad growled as he checked his gun of ammo, everyone was standing around, watching us and some were stunned as to what was going on.

"Don't go out there. Ya'll know what can happen," Carol pleaded as she looked to us, ignoring her dad kept walking and the rest of us followed closely.

"Get everybody back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put! Let's go, back in the house," dad ordered and everyone rushed to go back inside. Dad, Darly, Shane and I heading towards the woods in search of Randall.

"I saw him head up through the trees that way before I blacked out. I'm not sure how long,"

"He couldn't have gotten far. He's hobbled, exhausted.

"And armed," Shane said as he tried to remind him that Randall was dangerous. _Not as dangerous as the other men were._

"So are we," I remind them and this was when Daryl tried to seach for footprints, dad turned to look at him and pointed to the ground, Daryl searched but looked as though he couldn't find anything.

"Can you track him?" dad asked him as Daryl tried to find anything that could give us a good enough lead.

"No, I don't see nothing," Daryl answered him as he shook his head.

"Hey, look, there ain't no use in tracking him, okay? He went that way," Shane said pointing off towards the distance, never turning to look at Daryl or the rest of us. "We need to pair up. We spread out, we just chase him down. That's it," Shane said looking to us, he sounded as though he was the one in charge and dad tensed up with that same acknowledgement.

"Kid weighs a buck-25 soaking wet. You trying to tell us he got the jump on you?" Daryl asked him curious as to see what bullshit he was saying now. _Something is very odd about this..._

"I say a rock pretty much evens those odds, wouldn't you?" Shane growled at Daryl. A blank expression crossed Shane's face, one of impatience and anger.

"Alright, knock it off. You and Kat start heading up the right flank. Me and Shane'll take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there. Keep an eye out for each other," dad said as we separated and headed different ways. Daryl gave a single nod and walked off. Following, I could feel my gut telling me something wasn't right.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Looks like it's busted pretty bad," I said examining the blood that was running down Shane's busted nose. A feeling in my gut telling me he was lying and that this was all just for show.

"It's fine, man. Don't worry about me," Shane said, there was a look in his eye and the way he walked which...struck me as odd. _Something is going on in his head and I think I know what is about to happen..._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

We were in the dark, staying as silent and slow as we walked. As to not alert anything or anyone of our presence. "This is pointless. You got a light? Come on," Daryl asked me as I handed him the flashlight and watched him search around for anything. He sighed and kept walking quietly.

"We're just back to square one," I tell him noticing that we were back to the same place we once were. _What the hell is going on here? I think we should just find dad and head back to the others._

"If you're gonna do a thing, you might as well do it right. There's two sets of tracks right here. Shane must've followed him a lot longer than he said. There's fresh blood on this tree. There's more tracks. Looks like they're walking in tandem," Daryl said as we finally found a lead and found clues as to where the pair had wandered off to.

Hearing a noise I looked over my shoulder and followed closely behind Daryl. The noise startling me a little and making me bump into Daryl's hard body by accident. "Sorry," I mumbled as I took a few steps away from him.

"Yeah, there was a little dust up right here," Daryl said as he shone on the footsteps of the pair who were out here in the woods. It made me look at it confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked him unsure of what he was trying to tell me. _Something's wrong...really wrong._

"I mean something went down," he explained as I looked down at it and noted that it did look wrong. Like something went completely different than what Shane was telling us.

"It's getting weird," I tell him noting that this was something...odd. _Something's not right here. Not right at all._

"Hello trouble," Daryl said as he lifted the piece of cloth they used to cover his eyes, looking around I noticed it was really off. _What is going on? Nothing makes sence. _Looking around, I heard footsteps, Daryl grabbed my arm and shoved me to hide behind a tree. Throwing the flashlight at me, I caught it and held it in my free hand. Grabbing my knife, I waited for the sound and could hear footsteps wander around in the woods.

Next thing was, both me and Daryl shared a look, glancing around the tree we checked to see who or what it was. It was a someone, looked like a man...like..._fuck...I don't know who or what._ The footsteps got closer to us, readying my stance with my knife, I turned the corner and so did Daryl. Both of us froze when we saw it was Randall as a walker, his hands and arms reaching out to grab me.

Falling to the ground, I got to my knees and saw Daryl was fighting with Randall. Grabbing my knife that I had dropped, I got to my feet and kicked Randall off of Daryl. When he fell to the floor, I got onto him and dug my knife into Randall's skull. Panting, I pulled out my knife, got up again to my feet and looked down at the now dead Randall.

"Said I would kill him the next time I saw him," I spoke dully before I wiped at the sweat that I didn't know was bedding my face. _Fuck me...who knew I would kill him...but only when he was a walker?_

"Yeah...nice," Daryl said as he went to look for his bolt. Picking it up we decided to try and realx for a second. Gather our breath and then check out Randall for any bites and Shane's gun.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Does this way feel right?" I asked Shane, feeling like we were miles away from where the boy had actually wandered off to. Where they both wandered off to. _Shane is plotting something. I can feel it._

"As right as any," Shane spoke as he turned to look at me, an dark gleam in his eyes. A killer expression plastered to his face. A merderous look on his face that scared me slightly.

"Snatched your gun, huh?" I asked him, looking away as to not show the intimidation and fear he gave me. Gathering up my strength and putting on a brave face. _Like I taught Kat once._

"Yeah. It's my favorite piece too. Gonna wish he'd-wish he'd killed me when I find his sorry ass. Go on," Shane said as he looked at me, his voice cracking as he spoke and this is when I was certain he was lying to me. Walking ahead, I took a hard swallow and kept my eyes forward, my ears listening to hear if he would try anything.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"He's got his neck broke," Daryl told me which made me look at him surprised. "He's got no bites," Daryl said as he examined Randall, he was on his knees and weirdly, I would have felt good about killing Randall and seeing him this way but...something was making me feel sick inside.

"Yeah, none you can see," I mumbled as I got closer to him, my stomach making me feel sick and looking down at Randall I felt something inside me bubble. _What is going on? _

"No, I'm telling you he died from this," he said as he pointed to the snapped neck. Looking at him I was confused, crouching beside him I could see him looking directly at me and this was when I felt my brows furrow.

"How's that possible?" I asked confused but that was when something hit me. "Wait...Daryl...my dad. He's out there. Shane killed Randall and is now leading my dad out there in the woods. He wants to kill my dad! We need to go save him!" I begged as I felt my heart thumb against my chest. _Dale warned me something like this would happen! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! _

"Woah! Woah. Woah, woah! Hold up. Your dad will be fine. Rright now...we need to go to your family. To your mom and Carl. I'll get Glenn and T-Dog and we'll go out there to find them. I promise. Right now...you need to go back and look out for your family. For Carl and Lori," he said as he stopped me pacing around, wanting to go save my dad from Shane. Daryl gripped onto the tops of my shoulders and held me still, looking directly into my eyes. His blue eyes twinkling in the moon light.

"Yeah...back to mom and Carl," I say as I thought of the other two who may be just as worried about my disappearance as they were of dads. _Who knows? Maybe dad convinced him to return and that they were to forget this?_ Turning back we headed towards the farm house, in search for my family and Daryl had finally let me go. His warm, strong hands were...comforting.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"You say he got you with a rock?" I asked as we walked onto a field. We weren't too far away from the house and my gun was starting to slide out of my hand. From all the sweat, I didn't know how I still had a grip on the gun.

"That's what I said," he tells me and this was when I knew he was going to do it here. _Fuck...I guess it's time to confront this little stunt he has. The real intentions of this whole situation._

"Inside the shed? 'Cause that door was shut when T-Dog rolled up," I inform him. Knowing that Shane was full of shit. _He's lying._

"I saw that too. Must've slipped through the rafters in the roof," he said and this was when I definately knew he was lying. _He did this...this was all a trick and made up story to get me here...so that he could kill me. Daryl blocked those rafters._

I kept walking, noticing that there were no footsteps behind me and slowed down. Coming to a halt, I lowered my head and slipped my gun back into my holster. "So this is where you planned to do it?" I asked him as I kept my back facing him.

"It's a good place as any," he confirmed, I could hear his soft panting and could sense he was looking at me with that blank, merderous expression that was plastered onto his face. _He wants to kill me...I knew this time would come. I had hoped it didn't._

"At least have the balls to call this what it is. Murder. You really believe if you walk back onto that farm alone...no me, no Randall-" I say as I turned to look at him, he already pulled out his gun and I circled him.

"I want you to hush up," he growled at me as he pointed towards me. _He knows I'm right. Kat would be way too clever. She can see through his bullshit. She can vouch for me._

"You really believe they're gonna buy whatever bullshit story you cook up?" I asked him, spitting it at him and hoping he would never sell this story. That Kat would have found Randall and Daryl would figure out that Randall was killed by Shane all along.

"That's just it. It ain't no story. I saw that prisoner shoot you down. I ran after him. I snapped his neck. It ain't gonna be easy, but Lori, Kat and Carl...they'll get over you. They done it before. They just gonna have to," he growled at me, his facial expression was blank. Like he was in a zone or trance. His gun aimed at me.

"Why? Why now? I thought we worked this all out," I asked him as I kept circling him, he followed my path and kept the gun aimed at me.

"We tried to kill each other man. What you think? We just gonna forget about it all? We gonna ride off into the sunset together?" he asked me sarcastically. _How did I know that this would eventually happen?_

"You're gonna kill me in cold blood? Screw my wife? Have my children. _My children._ Call you daddy? Is that what you want? That life won't be worth a damn. I know you. You won't be able to live with this," I say trying to reach out to the old Shane. To the one who could still be hidden inside of him.

"What you know about what I can live with? You got no idea what I can live with, what I live with! You wanna talk about what I can do, Rick? How about what you can do? Here I am. Come on, man. Raise your gun," he said as he tucked his gun into the front of his pants. His arms spread out at either side of him.

"No. No, I will not," shaking my head, I told him this and paced around a little. _I won't give in to what he wants me to do. He won't make me._

"What happened, Rick? I thought you weren't the good guy anymore. Ain't that what you said? Even right here, right now, you ain't gonna fight for 'em? I'm a better father than you, Rick. I'm better for Lori than you, man. It's 'cause I'm a better man than you, Rick. 'Cause I can be here and I'll fight for it," he tells me angered with what I had said and done in the past.

"You come back here and you just destroy everything! You got a broken woman. You got a delusional daughter. You got a weak boy. You ain't got the first clue on how to fix it. Raise your gun," he told me, commanding me and I stayed still. His gun raised and aimed at my head.

"You're gonna have to kill an unarmed man. Watch my hand. Nice and easy. Easy does it. Now listen to me, Shane. There is still a way back from this. Nothing has happened here. We're gonna lay down our guns and we're gonna walk back to the farm...together. Back to Lori. Back to Kat. Back to Carl. Put this all behind us," I say trying to convince him, picking up my gun and getting closer to him. To hand him my gun.

Just as I got close enough, he reached to take my gun and in split seconds, I pulled out my knife and dug it right into his heart. He went to shoot but I already held him to me. Slowly I lowered him to the ground and cradled him. "Shh. Damn you for making me do this, Shane! This was you, not me! You did this to us! This was you, not me. Not me! Not me! Son of-" I cried as I took my knife out of his heart. Bleeding out, he died in my arms and all I could do was cry.

Standing, I waited for Shane to turn, to see if what Jenner told me was true. To see for myself. "Dad?" I heard Carl's small, sad voice call out to me and this was when I looked up and saw him stood there. Gun in hand.

"Carl. You know...you should be back home with mom," I tell him as I walked closer to him. He quickly aimed the gun up and this was when I froze. "Just-just put the-...put the gun down. It's not what it seems. Please," I pleaded as I got closer to him slowly. Carl was crying, but what surprised me is he shot and it flew past me. Knocking Shane down onto the ground. "Wait-wait-wait-wait," I tell Carl as I gesture for him to stay put. Walking closer, I had realized...Jenner was telling the truth...

* * *

><p><strong>Hey! Hope everyone liked this chapter. Got lots of Daryl and Kat moments. Quick question...does anyone like the Kat and Carl moments? Or any moments she has between the family? Who do you like more that she communicates with in the Grimes family? Personally...I enjoy all of them. Which do you like seeing?<strong>

**Now...please can I have some reviews? Next chapter will be the season finale! Oh my god! I'm going to get that started now. So be prepared for a fast update. **

**Now...for replies!**

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><p><strong>Liaskane: You're going to see heaps of it next season. Especially when shit hits the fan which...will really put Kat to the test. Wait and see! Although...you'll see next chapter! Thanks for the review dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Oh you! Hope you have a lovely one too! As for Kat...yeah. She's had it tough but...it only will get tougher. I'm glad you love it and me so much. Love you too! As for the signing in...so silly! Always know how to put a smile on my face like that dear. Love you too! Thanks for the review dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>jessica. orr. 1884: I'm glad it did! Thanks for the review! Stay put...we have more drama to come!<strong>

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><p><strong>redangel2463: yes...she feels sad but she's going to do the best she can to stay positive as there is much to do to keep her preocupied as you've seen. I saw this chapter more as the pain it inflicts on the family when they feel they're to blame. Yes...Kat was grateful as you saw here. Thanks for the review dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>HeavensWeatherHellsCompany: I hope this could satisfy your KatDaryl needs. Its a slow burn. It's just how it's meant to be. Sorry. They won't be getting together as soon as you would like. Hence slow burns love. Thank you for the review dear!**

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><p><strong>Until next time...<strong>

**Much love! **

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	18. Chapter 18: Revelation

Chapter 18: Revelation

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

_~Weeks ago~_

_"Kat seems to be good with her brother," Shane said as we looked at them. Amy and Andrea were fixing up their tent a little and Kat was playing a game of cards with Carl. Cuddling him and kissing him playfully whenever he would win._

_"She's always been good with him," I tell him as I looked at them, Shane stood behind me and watched the two laugh and have fun together. Bringing a smile to my face as I hung laundry up to dry._

_"Yeah...I suppose she is," Shane said as he looked to them he looked at me curiously and then back to the kids. A chuckle escaping from his lips as they both fell to the floor, Carl on her lap and Kat's back to the floor, holding him in her arms._

_"I can't help but feel surprised from time to time," I say after I giggle at the sight of them two having fun. Looking at Kat and wondering where the days had gone. She's always been my little girl and it was hard seeing her grow up to be such a remarkable woman._

_"Lemme guess...she's...strong? Beautiful? Like her mom?" Shane guessed as he came up behind me when no one was looking, he nibbled on my ear and would kiss along my neck and cheek. Wrapping his arms around me from behind._

_"Yes but...like her mom she is clever and unlike her mom she is selfless," I answered him and held my hands over his arms, their tightness were warm and comforting. Giggling at his words and gestures._

_"She's a tough one she is. She'll make it in this world. I can see it," Shane said as he looked over at them. Stopping from putting up the laundry, I looked to them and all I could see was the joy on their faces._

_"I sure hope so. She needs to be...for Carl," I say as I looked at Kat. Carl lived off of Kat. She was like the glue to his side and they were almost never appart. Only for when they peed and slept. Kat was good for him. A good sister, friend and protector. She needed to be there for him. She has to be._

* * *

><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

"Rick and Shane ain't back?" Daryl asked as we made our way towards the others who were all in the livingroom, stepping in I realized that neither men were home. _Oh fuck...I knew I had a bad feeling about this!_

"No," mom answered quickly, worried as she got to her feet and walked to stand by my side. She pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek softly.

"We heard a shot," I tell her and she just pulled away to look at me. Her hazel eyes almost wide and her expression was stern. Strong.

"Maybe they found Randall," she tried to reason. As though that was the reason for the gunshot. _She said so once. For a walker or even Randall they wouldn't risk the noise for it._

"We found him mom," I tell her which made her eyes widen, her hands resting on my arms and she looked to me stunned. _She knows how hard it is for me to talk and think about Randall but...I've handled it. _

"Is he back in the shed?" Patricia asked as though that was the case. That it was the way we handled things. _She wishes. He's d.e.a.d. Dead._

"He's a walker," Daryl informed everyone which made me look at him from the corner of my eyes. _{Makes the buzzer noise} Wrong!_

"_Was_ a walker," I tell them which made mom gape at me. Stepping away a little from me before she pulled me into another hug. _What is with all the hugs? He's dead...I didn't feel guilty about it. Not one second. Fucker deserved that type of death. A walker one. That way...no reasons to keep him alive when he's a dead threat._

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked as everyone stood, listening into the conversation that we were all having. Everyone's eyes wide and some of them were stunned by this information. Some relaxed after a few moments.

"No, the weird thing is he wasn't bit," I tell them and looked to Daryl. He was looking at everyone sternly. Like...a leader. His eyes drifting to look at each and every face in the room.

"His neck was broke," Daryl told them. Everyone looked at us confused and some of them didn't know how to process this information.

"So he fought back," Patricia said as though it was clear. _Wrong. Daryl's the expert. He's the one who told me about what really happened and...it's more than believable._

"The thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other...and Shane ain't no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him. They were together," Daryl explained, everyone looking at us confused and mom looked to him worried.

"Would you please get back out there, find Rick and Shane and find out what on earth is going on?" mom asked of him as she walked to him. Her facial expressions showing signs of worry and eager to know what was going on. To get some sort of clarity.

"You got it," Daryl said as he tapped mom's side. _Is...wait...he's listened to me since I last told him off about this? From when mom went out in search of dad and Hershel. When mom got in the car accident._

"Thank you," she said kindly to him. He walked out and I pressed a soft kiss to her cheek as to un nerve her. Following after Daryl and freezing in my tracks. _Oh...my...God...that is a lot of walkers._

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"You bit too?" Carl asked me as we decided to head back to the house. My shirt was still slightly wet from the blood of Shane's. _Fuck...did it really have to come to that? To...killing my best friend?_

"No," I tell him, reassuring him that I was all right. _As all right as I'll ever be. Fuck...what do I tell Lori? Did Kat make it back to the house? Fuck...we need to get back there. _

"Shane was," Carl said as though he knew the facts. _No Carl...he wasn't. He was stabbed and turned because...we're all infected. Just like Jenner told me while the CDC was set to explode._

"That wasn't Shane. You know that," I remind him. _Walkers aren't the people we used to be. Jenner said that...when you wake up...the 'you' part doesn't come back. Sadly...Shane wasn't there to begin with. Shane became a man I no longer knew._

"Used to be. What happened? You guys attacked? I mean, I-I heard a gunshot, but I didn't see any walkers nearby. How did Shane die?" Carl asked me as he stopped, following his lead I stopped too and looked at him.

Suddenly, the sounds of distant growling and moaning came closer towards us. Worried I looked towards it and saw the biggest herd since the walker herd that scared Sophia out into the woods. "Oh my God! Go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go," I ordered Carl as I pulled him to run away from the walkers and towards the house.

"We we gotta get to the house, tell the others," Carl said as we slowed down to look out the house. The walkers were getting closer and it was almost impossible to reach the house. _Fuck!_

"We'll never get through that. Can't go around. Carl, stay close. Go!" I instructed as we kept moving, keeping away from walkers and dodging them whenever they would try and grab at us...

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Patricia, kill the lights," Hershel said as we all went outside and saw the herd coming closer to us. _Fuck...how are we going to survive this? Fuck. That's way too many. Even with all the ammo in the world._

"I'll get the guns," Andrea said just as I thought of guns. _Seems like someone can read my mind. Still...I'll be surprised if we can all survive this. Not that I don't have hope that we will. We just need to be clever about this._

"Maybe they're just passing, like the herd on the highway. Should we just go inside?" Glenn asked as he stood beside me and Daryl. The two of us looking to the distance, shaking my head Daryl kept a tight grip on his crossbow.

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about. A herd that size would rip the house down," Daryl admitted. _He's not lying. If they could bread down the wooden fences that covered us...I don't want to know what they would do when they discovered we were in the house._

"Carl's gone," mom said in her panick filled voice. My eyes widened as we all looked to her. _How could mom just...lose Carl?! What the fuck?! Where is he?!_

"What?!" I asked her stunned by this new found information. Daryl shuffled a little as he looked between me and mom. Mom gripped at her hair, frustrated and rubbed at her face.

"He-he was upstairs. I can't find him anymore," she answered as she wiped her possibly sweaty palms against her jacket and pants. Her voice shook at the thought of losing Carl. Taking a hard swallow I tried to think of options.

"Maybe he's hiding," I suggest, hopefull that he was just playing hide and go seek. _Please let it just be him playing the wrong game at the wrong time. Please._

"He's supposed to be upstairs. I'm not leaving without my boy!" mom shouted as she looked to all of us. She looked like a wreck. Like she was close to having a panick attack. _I need to go out there and look for them then...while she looks inside. I want to be there for her..._

"We're not. We're gonna look again. We're gonna find him," Carol said as she took moms hands, taking her inside they decided to search for my brother together. _Let's just hope he's hiding and in a really good place._

"Maggie," Glenn said stunned as Maggie pulled out guns and handed them out to all of us. He was probably stunned at this new change to her attitude towards walkers. _They are threats. Especially in this amount of head counts. Too many to be exact._

"You grow up country, you pick up a thing or two," Maggie tells him and this was when I decided to look inside the house for something. Finding what I wanted, I took it out front and grasped it, pulling at the ends, I checked how strong it was. _Strong enough to hold._ Maggie then passed me a shotgun and some shells.

"We have guns. We have cars," Hershel said as he cocked his gun and looked towards Daryl who probably asked him a question in return got this answer. _Who fucking knows anymore. All I know is this is a huge issue._

"Kill as many as we can, and we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm," I agree as Andrea passed me a few shells for my gun. Taking them, I shoved them in my pocket and got ready to go.

"Are you serious?" Daryl asked as he looked between me and Hershel. As though we had probably smoked the same joint or something. _It's as good a plan as any. He can't say it isn't._

"This is my farm. I'll die here," Hershel said which stunned me a little. _Fair enough. If we can help it though...he won't die._

"All right. It's as good a night as any," Daryl said as he hopped over the fence and got onto his motorcycle. Hershel walked over to stand beside the steps, shooting at walkers that got too close or were too far away.

"All right. What I need you to do is...I'll pass you the ends of the rope and you tie it. Tight enough so that I don't slip. Got it?" I tell Andrea and T-Dog as I hopped into the back of Daryl's truck and sat on the roof. Laying the rope onto my legs, I let the sides dangle on either side of the window.

"You really got a thing for ropes don't you?" T-Dog asked me, reminding me of the time in the well. _Seems to me I do have a thing for rope but...this is as good a plan as any!_

"Just tie it! Tighter!" I demanded when I felt them making a knot and stayed put. Checking to see if it was tight enough, I hit the window between my legs and they began to drive, Shotgun in hand I cocked it and got ready for the fight. "This better fucking hold..." I mumbled looking down at the rope holding me down to the roof.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

Locking us in the barn, I rushed to grab something that would hold the door close and then searched for anything. Finding some gas, we began to pour it everywhere on the floor and on the sides. "All right, here we go. Come on. Hurry. Oh shit. All right. Okay. Up there. Hurry," I said as I felt the pressure build and close in around us. Walkers at every corner.

"Well, what about you?" Carl asked as he looked to me, stopping at the end of the ladders to look at me worried. _We'll be fine. I know it. We need to have that faith. The faith that Kat clings onto. We'll be all right._

"I'll be right there. Drop the lighter when I say. We'll stop some of them from reaching the house and distract the others, so at least we'll have a chance. Hey-hey-hey, look at me. You can do this. Carl I love you. All right, go-go-go," I tell him as I clutched him and handed the lighter, looking directly into his eyes as I spoke.

"Hey! Hey! You want some?! Come and get it! Come on! Come on! Come on! Over here! Come on, over here. Come on, over here! Carl, now!" I shouted over the moans, opening the door and letting the walkers follow. Heading half way up the ladders, I called to Carl and he dropped the lighter. Climbing up, I stood beside him and saw the walkers burn as they tried to reach up at us.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Keep it steady!" I shouted as they swerved around a little too much, Andrea shooting with her pistol and I kept aiming and shooting with my shotgun. "I didn't ever imagine me doing something like this...ever," I grumbled to myself as I looked down at the rope holding me down. It was doing a good enough job but...would it last long enough?

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"I can't find him anywhere," I declared as I rushed down the stairs. Carl was no where to be found. He wasn't in his room, he wasn't upstairs and he wasn't with me. Which is where he needed to be.

"So maybe he snuck outside," Carol suggested as we met together in the hallway. Panick shook my body. Kat was outside there with the walkers and so was Carl. Kat atleast was with the others...Carl...God knows where he was.

"What do I do?!" I shouted as I cupped my face, trying not to cry and held back my fear of him possibly being eaten. _God...please don't let my baby boy be walker meat. Please._

"He was here. He must've run off, maybe looking for Rick or went after Randall himself," Carol tried to reassure me, trying to think of rational situations that Carl could have been in. _God...where is he?!_

"Maybe he set the fire," Patricia said which made my heart drop and pound at the same time. A sickening feeling telling me that he was the one to start the fire, rushing to the window I looked outside and saw walkers head to the barn. Kat sat atop Daryl's truck and Carl nowhere to be seen.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Hey! Here! Get in here! Put it right there! Come on!" I screamed at Jimmy who was in the RV, he parked beside the rooftop and I stepped onto it. Taking Carl's hand I led him to the roof of the RV and climbed down the ladder at the end of the RV. Shooting down walkers and helping Carl down from the ladder. "Oh no!" I said as I saw blood splatter the window at the front of the RV.

_Jimmy's...being eaten by walkers...fuck._ "Carl, now! This way!" I shouted as I lead him in a path that would lead us back to the house, being as quick as we could and never letting him out of my sight. _No way is Carl dying tonight._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"They're all over the place. There's no corralling them. We're gonna run out of ammo before we even make a dent!" Andrea spoke as we began to shoot as many walkers as we could. Seemed as though with every shot we took, twenty more appeared.

"We need a new game plan!" I shouted down at them, reminding them that I was still with them and that what Andrea was saying was true. _There's too many of them. There's no way our ammo will suffice the amount of walkers in this herd._

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"There. Head for the woods now, as fast as you can. Come on. Come on!" I shouted to Carl as we headed towards the woods, finding a different route to get to the house. To safety. Dodging walkers and trying to keep as fast but as silent as we could.

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"I checked the shed. I can't find him anywhere," I said as I walked out and heard all the shotguns firing and handguns popping. My heart pounding and my mouth dry from the fear of losing my children.

"Not in the cellar or the attic," Carol informed me as she reached me. Her eyes watching me as I felt frustrated with the fact I had no idea where my son was. _Please let him be with Rick and safe. _

"Why can't he listen for once?" I asked myself more than to Carl who was out there somewhere. Looking around, I saw Kat was still as safe as she could be in the situation we were all in and Carl was still out of eye sight. "Ok okay, if he followed his daddy, he went that way," I said pointing to the direction of the woods.

"No, you'll lead 'em right to him. We can't stay here!" Carol tried to make me see sense and honestly...it was working. _If Carl is there and if he is safe with Rick...he'll come to me...won't he?_

"That's my boy!" I cried as I gripped onto Carol's arms. Her hands holding onto me tightly. _I can't leave him or Kat behind. I need them. Where is he? Please...let my children be fine. _

"You're gonna have to trust. If we find him, he's gonna need his mother. We've gotta go!" Carol told me which made me look between the fields, searching for any signs of my loved ones and then back to her. Panting as I thought over my choices.

"Get the others," I tell her, pushing her gently to go inside and I went to look over the front porch. "Carl!" I shouted, hopeful that he would hear and come to my voice. Raising my gun I shot down as many walkers as I could.

"Beth, Patricia, come on. We've gotta go now. Lori," I heard Carol gather around the girls, grabbing things and rushing out to look at me. Carol was holding onto the bag of guns and the three women looked at me worried.

"Hershel. Hershel. Hershel!" I shouted out grasping onto the pillar. "Hershel, it's time to go!" I shouted again trying to get his attention. He kept shooting and never stopped, not even to look back and see us call for him.

"Come on! Now!" Carol demanded as she looked to me, looking at them I saw the fear in there eyes and the wanting of them leaving the area. Of leaving the farm and to get away from all the walkers.

"Hershel! Hershel!" I shouted out again, but Hershel just ignored me. Too focused on killing walkers and not focusing on escaping. _If it weren't for these women...I wouldn't try and wait for Carl or be calling out for Hershel so desperately._

"We gotta go. We gotta get out of here," Carol ordered as she passed me the bag of guns, holding tightly to my gun and following Carol down the porch steps. Beth and Patricia held hands as we ran to escape this chaos.

"We gotta go. Stay behind me. Stay behind me. Come on, girls. Come on," I shouted to the girls, shooting one or two walkers as they stayed behind me. Getting closer to the car, Carol ran off in another direction, I then heard the sounds of screaming behind me.

"No! No! Dad," Beth cried as she held onto the dying Patricia. Walkers grabbed Patricia from ever piece of revealed skin. Ripping her appart and Beth wouldn't let go. Pulling her out of Patricia's grasp, I dragged her towards the car that was parked. Andrea jumped out to let us in and Kat was still strapped to the top.

"Get in!" Andrea shouted as she shot at the walkers, I shot at a few more and looked up at Kat who had her shotgun in hand and kept the walkers away from me. She looked so...strong and mature. _Rick would be proud._

"Dad!" Beth cried but I shoved her inside the car, T-Dog holding onto her and keeping her inside, looking around I couldn't find Carol. Fear shook me at the thought of Carol being lost or eaten by walkers like Patricia was right now.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Get Carol! She ran that way," mom shouted to Andrea but I quickly grabbed my knife and sliced at the rope as quickly as I could and was set free. Getting to my feet, I jumped over the side of the truck and patted mom's back. Mom dropped the bag of guns by Andrea's feet.

"I'll go," I tell her as I grabbed my machete and gun. She looked at me with wide and horrorfied eyes. Like she didn't want me getting in that danger. _Silly mom. I'll be fine. Where's the faith in me?_

"Kat?!" she called to me but I shoved her in the car. Luckily no walkers were grabbing at me, Andrea was too busy shooting down as many as she could. _At least she's a good shot._

"Don't worry. Get in!" I tell her and she looked at me shocked. They stayed there in the car. Mom's face pressed against the window to try and look at me. Shutting the door, I tapped the door and ran towards where mom directed me, where I would find Carol.

Finding her she was holding a stick up as though that would defend her. She was sobbing and getting cornered. Grabbing my machete, I sliced walkers that were in my way and stabbed the one that was going for Carol. "Look out!" she shouted, quickly I turned and saw a walker coming closer. Shooting it, it fell on top of me like a tonne of bricks and made me drop my machete.

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"They got her!" Beth shouted as she looked to the distance, where Kat was but was soon covered by a walker above her. A gasp and sudden shock filled my body. _No. _

"No! My baby girl! No! Let me go! Please...no..." I sobbed Beth clutching me to her as we left Kat to be eaten by the walkers. My heart tore to a thousand pieces with every inch we drove away from her. _No...my baby girl...no._

"We gotta go! Dog, come on!" Beth shouted as Beth clutched onto my head, placing it on her chest as I sobbed out for my baby girl. _My first born...my...Katherine._

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

The walker that was atop me was heavy and hard to move, I then saw another walker try to grab at me. He fell on top of the dead walker that laid above me, reaching for my gun, I aimed and shot it before it could grab me. Straining, I was panting and looking for a way out of this. A third walker joined the stack and I couldn't find the right angle to shoot it.

Shoving my gun in the first one's mouth, I shot through the head of it three times to be sure the walker was dead. Pulling out my knife, I pushed them all off me and got to my feet. Panting and trying to wipe the blood off my face. I was about to grab my machete but a walker came up behind me and caused me to run off towards another direction.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Hershel screamed as he shot at the walkers with his shotgun, never turning to look back or to check for the limited ammo we had. There was a walker getting closer to him as he walked backwards. Keeping Carl close, I shot the walker down and Hershel turned to look at me.

"Where's Lori and Kat? Did you see Lori or Kat?" I asked him, curious as to where everyone had disappeared to. _Please let them be safe. Fuck...if they aren't then...what do we do?_

"I don't know what happened, Rick. They just keep coming. It's like a plague. They're everywhere," Hershel said not answering my question. It made me feel like screaming. I didn't care about the amount of walkers crawling towards us. I wanted to know where my family was.

"Lori! Kat! Did you see them?" I asked him again, my voice more demanding and we looked towards all the other walkers that were making their way towards us. Hershel shooting at them and never quitting.

"No!" he told me as he stopped to answer me. Looking around, I realized this was a lost cause. That we needed to find safety or a place where we knew others would be.

"We have to go. Find mom, Kat and the others," I tell Carl as I shot down some walkers, Hershel stopped to look at me and I pulled him by his collar towards his car.

"It's my farm!" he shouted at me as he tried to convince me he wanted to stay. _Like a captain aboard his ship. He wants to go down with it._

"Not anymore! Come on!" I shouted at him as I pulled him towards the car and Carl got in without question.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Hershel shouted as he tried to look at the walkers. To shoot at them but I just shot a few of them and got into the car. Hershel followed quickly.

"Hershel! Come on!" I shouted as he entered, sitting down and turning the engine on. Looking back, I checked to see if Hershel was in and he was.

"Go!" he shouted at me which made me step on the gas, speeding us away from the farm as he glanced back at it. Carl sat there sad, unhappy and pondering in his thoughts. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I tried to comfort him and squeezed it lightly.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"Come on, I ain't got all day!" I shout at Carol after I heard her crying and fumbling steps towards me. _So helpless...she's always crying about something and...why hasn't she got a gun?_

"Let's go!" she shouted to me as she gripped me tightly, looking back I saw walkers get closer to us and sped off. Carol gripping onto me tightly and crying to herself. Eventually the crying stopped and I followed the tracks that were possibly left by Glenn.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Wait, where's mom and Kat? You said they'd be here. W-we gotta go back for them," Carl said after we parked up by the supplies we had left for Sophia when we had the herd come towards us. Looking around, I saw that we were the first ones here and that there were no walkers about.

"Carl-" I go to say as I turned to look at him. He was filled with worry and determination. Like he wanted nothing more than to have the two women in his life back here with us.

"No. Why are we running? What are you doing? It's-it is mom and Kat. We need to get them and not be safe a mile away," he argued to me, the blood that covered us were all dry now and I could see the anger in Carl's eyes as he spoke.

"Shh. You need to be quiet, all right? Please," I begged of him, hoping that he would stop and not cause any attention from walkers to be drawn to us. _Walkers could kill us if we're not careful._

"Please...it's mom and Kat," Carl pleaded as though he mocked me. _It's our family. The ones we love...it doesn't surprise me. He doesn't want us to leave them behind. It's my wife...my daughter._

"Look, Carl, listen-" I went to say to him, crouching down a little and looking in his eyes. My hand rested on his shoulder and he would look down at me with a look of anger and sadness.

"No!" he shouted at me as he walked away. Shrugging my hand from his shoulder as he walked away sad and angered. _He wants mom and Kat here. So do I but...we don't know where they are or if they are alive._

"Rick. You've got to get your boy to safety. I'll wait here for my girls and the others. I know a few places. We'll meet up at one of them later," Hershel said, stopping me from going up to Carl and talking to him.

"Where? Where is safe? We're not splitting up," I tell him, reminding him that we can't be sure if there is ever a safe place wherever he leads us to and if there aren't walkers where he says.

"Please, keep your boy safe. I'll hide in one of the cars. If a walker gets me, so be it. I've lost my farm. I've lost my wife and maybe my daughters," Hershel said sadly, as though he didn't have a reason worth living anymore.

"You don't know that. They'll be here," I growled at him as I looked to the distance, waiting for anyone to show up and praying that it would be Kat and Lori to show up. As well as the others.

"And you don't know that," Hershel threw back at me. _What does anyone know anymore? I don't know where my wife is...or my daughter. I don't know if anyone else survived but...I have to hope that they did. _

"You're a man of God. Have some faith," I growled, knowing that Kat would of prefered for me to say that. _She always keeps hope alive. Even in her darkest moments. She's so strong and...I barely even notice it sometimes. I don't know how she keeps hope alive in times like these._

"I can't profess to understand God's plan, but Christ promised the resurrection of the dead. I just thought he had something a little different in mind," Hershel said as he questioned faith, questioned what the bible said and how prophesies worked.

"We stick together," I informed him as I walked off to go and talk to Carl. _I just hope he listens to me. Like Kat told me she would of always listened to me. Kat she...she knows how to keep Carl calm and happy._

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"Hey, we gotta turn around," I tell T-Dog as he kept driving away from the highway. I couldn't cry anymore. My face was stained with the tears I had weapt for Kat but...now I needed to find Carl and Rick.

"Straight back to that herd? Um, no," T-Dog said as he kept driving and shook his head. I needed to stay strong and thinking of herds...made me want to cry for Kat again. Especially at when the herd had gotten to Sophia and destroyed my poor baby girl.

"The highway's back there. That's where they'll be. Rick will go back to where we first broke down and Glenn too," I inform him, reminding him of the highway we had stayed at. Where his arm was bleeding and almost infected if it wasn't for the help of the Greene family and supposedly Dary and Merle.

"We're headed east, get to the coast. We should've done that from the jump. Look, we've got a shot to get out of here in one piece," T-Dog said which made me wince a little. _Not Kat...she's...probably torn to shreads. My poor baby girl...Jim was right. I should have kept my eye on her. _

"I gotta find Carl. He may have escaped with somebody," I tell him. Trying to keep my hopes up that Carl at least survived. _He has to of survived. I need to find him. Kat would want me to find him and I need to find my baby boy._

"I hate to say it, but they're on their own. There's no way to even begin to start looking," T-Dog said, trying to make me doubt that my boy had survived and making me look at him wide eyed.

"You're wrong," I growled at him. _I need to get to Carl. To Rick and Shane. They would protect Carl with their lives. Which...I couldn't do with Kat. God...I'm a terrible mother. _

"Look, we can't go back. I'm sorry. It's suicide," T-Dog said. _I am way past the line of suicide. I may have felt it when Kat was being eaten but now...I need to get to my child. To Carl. _

"All right, then let me out," I ordered of him and opened the door enough to scare small Beth who was in my arms crying over Patricia. This made T-Dog look at me stunned and for my leg to slightly slip out of the car.

"Hey! Whoa!" T-Dog shouted as he saw the door opened and my leg sliding out from the seat. He stepped hard on the breaks, making us skid to a stop and he looked at us shocked. Wide eyed and as though we had completely lost it.

"Then turn around, or you let us out right now," I growled at him, standing my ground and wanting nothing more than to get back to Carl. _I need to protect him. Better than how I protected Kat._

"I should do it, you know. Okay?" T-Dog said exhasperated that I even performed this stunt. He looked at me angered and stunned that I would have done such a thing.

"T-Dog," Beth tried to convince him softly. Her head lifting from my chest and looked up at T-Dog. _She's agreeing with me. She knows that the others will all be there or...she's trying to help me since I have lost my daughter._

"You're out of your damn minds," T-Dog growled at us before I shut the door and he drove us towards the highway. To where we left the supplies for Sophia. Back to Carl and the others.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Okay. Come come come come," I tell them as we all hid behind a car and kept hidden until the walker was away from us. Walking as far away from us and using the car to hide us from its sight.

"I don't know how much longer we can stay here," Hershel said when we knew the walker was gone from ear shot but kept his voice to a whisper. In case it heard us and decided to return to us.

"I-I'm not leaving without mom and Kat," Carl said up to me. He was determined to not go anywhere until our women were back. Until Lori and Kat were back with us. Safe and sound.

"So we're just gonna walk away? Not knowing if my wife and daughter, your girls are still out there? How do we live with that?" I questioned Hershel, hopeful that he would see the truth in what I spoke. That there is no point to keep surviving without the ones we love.

"You've only got one concern now. Just one...keeping him alive. Nature may be throwing us a curveball, but that law is still true," Hershel told me which made me think about Carl and his safety. We had been dodging walkers for hours and this wasn't safe.

"Carl. It's not safe here. I'm sorry. We'll-" I went to say, to plead my case and to make him see that we needed to get out of here. That was until I heard the sounds of cars and a motorcycle drive up to us.

Daryl on Merle's motorcycle and with Carol on the back seat of it. The car Shane had fixed up...Daryl's truck and...that was it. "Oh thank God!" Lori said as she ran over to Carl and hugged him. Tears ran down her tear stained face which made me wonder. Greeting Daryl and then heading towards my family to see Carl hugging Lori. Kissing her cheek and holding our son in our arms.

"Where'd you find everyone?" I said as I stood up and looked at Daryl. Glenn was here...Beth, Maggie...T-Dog and...there was no Andrea, Patricia or...Kat. _Where's Kat? Did they find the RV and possibly take it? _

"Well, those guys' tail lights zigzagging all over the road figured he had to be Asian, driving like that," Daryl teased as he looked to Glenn and made me look over my shoulder to see Glenn walk towards us.

"Good one," Glenn laughed as he shook his head with a smile. He held onto the shotgun and looked around. _Is he looking for Kat like me? For Andrea and Patricia? Are they on their way with the RV? Did they somehow take it from the walkers that killed Jimmy?_

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl asked as he probably took note that there weren't a lot of us left. Daryl's voice seemed a little sad and when I looked at him he was watching me. _Is he worried about the others like I am?_

"We're the only ones who made it so far," I inform them as I looked around the group. Hopeful that Kat, Andrea and Patricia would make it towards us. That they would roll up in the RV and climb out with smiles on their faces.

"Shane?" Lori asked me worried and this made me look at her, shaking my head and clenching my jaw. _Why is she more worried about Shane? This is unlike her. She would be asking me about Kat. Wait...does she know if Kat is safe?_

"Kat? Andrea?" Glenn asked as he looked around, slight worry in his eyes and all we could do was stand there. I waited for the news of whatever people saw and knew happened.

"Kat saved me, then I lost her, Andrea was out there shooting as many walkers as she wanted. Andrea didn't stop and then I saw her ran off somewhere to shoot more walkers," Carol said which made me look to her, I wasn't the only one and saw Daryl looked at her curious as to what she meant. As to what happened to my daughter.

"We saw Kat go down," T-Dog said which made my heart drop and smash into tiny pieces. _No. It can't be. _Lori looked away and clutched Carl to her. He wrapped his arms around her but then pulled away at this news.

"Is...is this true?" I asked feeling my heart being stabbed and my body shiver. _She can't be dead. Not my baby girl. Not my Kitten. _Looking to Lori, her bottom lip trembled and I stumbled around a little. Loss for words and unable to cry.

"Kat?" Carl asked as he looked up at Lori and watched as his eyes were filled with tears. The tears escaped the corners of his eyes and slid down his cheeks. He blinked them away and this made Lori cry herself and shut her eyes tightly. Nodding she stayed silent and held Carl as he sobbed into her chest.

"I-I wanted to save her...to...oh God Rick...our daughter she's..." Lori cried to me her voice shaky as she tried to regain her strength. My breath shook and my body felt numb. _Katherine...she's...she can't be. She has to be alive. She has to be._

"Kat's...dead?" Daryl asked his voice a little uneasy as Carl continued to cry. Carl gulped and looked up at Lori. Looked up at all of us and Daryl was stood there unsure of what to say or think. I couldn't even process this.

"No! No...no...no!" Carl cried as no one answered. Everyone silent and bowing their heads down. Carl moved away and rushed to be alone. My heart shreaded at the thought of Carl and Kat. The thought of never seeing my sweet daughter's face...

"Patricia?" Hershel asked as he looked around the group.

"They got her, too. Took her right in front of me. I was I was holdin' onto her, daddy. She just..." Beth gulped and held onto her sister's hand. Sadness in her eyes and almost in tears. "What about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?" Beth asked as she looked around and at her family.

"He was in the RV. It got overrun," I informed Beth and my voice was no longer shaking. It was firm. "You definitely saw Kat?" I asked as I looked up at T-Dog and Lori. Wanting this to be 100% positive that they saw her dead or alive.

"There were walkers everywhere," T-Dog told me and this made me clench my jaw, looking away and feeling my body tense. _There's no positive answer and I want to know the truth._

"Did you see her?!" I growled as I walked closer. Feeling my mind drive me insane with the want and need of knowing what happened to my baby girl. _Please...let her be alive and returning to us. Please._

"I'm gonna go back," Daryl said as he walked to his motorcycle, preparing himself for the trip back and never looking up to anyone else. _Where did this sudden need to go find her come from?_

"No," I ordered, my voice growling and it took everything in me to say this. _If Kat survived...she wouldn't have stayed there. She would try and make her way back to us. Back to her family._

"We can't just leave her," Daryl said as he looked up at me stunned. Like I was doing the wrong thing. _How close did they get? He seems so desperate to go back there and find Kat. Kat would be more than gone if she was alive. That's if she was clever enough to know not to stay._

"We don't even know if she's there. She isn't there. She isn't. She's somewhere else or she's...dead," it pained me to say this and I had to. It was what was true and it may have punched my chest to say it. "There's no way to find her," I said as I didn't look at anyone. Not even at Lori.

"So we're not even gonna look for her? That's our daughter Rick!" Lori shouted at me, outraged that I wouldn't go back there and look for her. _I told her I would look for her just...not now. I can't now. It's too dangerous._

"We gotta keep moving. There have been walkers crawling all over here," I tell them, trying to think of our safety and Carls. _Kat would want me to look out for Carl. Maybe she'll be heading the same direction as us. Hopefully._

"I say head east," T-Dog suggested as he looked to us. A walker was getting closer to us, walking and stumbling to get to us. His swaying figure made me hate it more than I already did.

"Stay off the main roads. The bigger the road, the more walkers, more assholes like this one. I got him," Daryl said as he saw the walker come closer to us, growling and Daryl raised his crossbow, shooting it and making it dead.

"Look...give me a few days...enough so that the walkers can have more or less left the farm. We'll search for Kat...or any evidence that she's still alive. Maybe...maybe Andrea saved her. Who knows? All I know is...right now it's dangerous," I tell Lori as I get closer to her, placing my hands on her shoulders and looking her directly in the eyes.

"But it-" she went to say, her bottom lip trembling and her eyes pooling up with tears. _She's distraught over the whole thing. She...saw Kat go down. I would be just like her if I saw it. I would of probably lost my mind._

"I know. Give me a few days. Hopefully she's safe and alive somewhere. We don't know for sure but...right now we need to look after Carl. She would want us to do that," I tell her reminding her of the type of person Kat was. What she would want us to do even if she was dead or alive. We drove away, with all the pain in my heart I kept driving and felt my heart stay with my little Kitten.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV <strong>

Seeing Andrea run into the woods, I followed after her and saw her hide behind a tree. A walker came closer to her and this made me pull out my knife. Grabbing the walker that was getting too close to her, I pulled on its head and smashed it against a tree.

Throwing the walker to the floor, I got on top of it and straddled it so that I could jab my knife into its head. Smashing the knife repeatedly into it's head and then got to my feet. Andrea looked at me surprised and relieved, she was holding onto the bag of guns and was panting up at me.

"Go! I'll be beside you!" I tell her as I helped her up and she took my hand gladly, pulling her up I looked around and pulled out my gun. My knife in my other hand and we ran, shooting some walkers down and digging my knife into some walkers that got too close and were alone.

"Damn it. Oh shit!" Andrea said as she noticed her gun was out of ammo. That there was nothing else she could do at this moment. We kept running and fought to stay alive, running deeper into the woods and dodging as many walkers as we could, not wanting to go shooting crazy like Andrea was. _We need to stay alive._

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><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"Damn," Rick growled as he banged on the horn, angered and upset about something. _Is he mad about Kat? Is he mad with me? Why could he be so mad? Other than the obvious reasons..._

"What's wrong?" I asked Rick, his blue eyes looked at me and made me feel the sting of regret. _I miss my Kat. My baby girl...fuck...what have I done? Nothing. That's what I did. I ran away and left her there._

"We've been riding red for the past hour," Rick informed us which made me feel a little guilty but...slightly relieved. I was on edge the entire time since I left Kat at the farm. _My baby girl..._

"Better make sure we don't get forgot," T-Dog said as he looked at Rick and then back out the window. Guilt still clung to me but...I didn't know what else I could do. It was already too late to even consider going back for her and checking to see if Kat was still alive.

Honking the horn all of us slowed down and got out of our cars. Rick walked quickly towards Daryl and I held onto Carl's hand. Carl had been silent the whole way here, he wouldn't even look at anyone. He was just so...sad. "You out?" Daryl asked as he looked to Rick.

"Running on fumes," Rick told him as he got closer to Daryl. Slowing down, we all gathered into a group and looked to one another.

"We can't stay here," Maggie said on edge after the attack. From what I could tell that girl was more nervous about the whole situation than Kat had ever been in her whole life.

"We can't all fit in one car," Glenn said which I didn't catch so well. Thinking of Kat and how she was like. _My baby girl...always so strong and selfless. She has to be alive. She has to._

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning," Rick said as he turned to look at us all. His eyes glancing around to see if we were safe and to see if there was possibly any shelter for us to take.

"Spend the night here?" Carol asked as she looked to us all confused, she pulled at her cardigan and looked at Rick surprised. _She's always doubting Rick and his decisions. It irritates me sometimes. _

"I'm freezing," Carl said as he wrapped his arms around his chest. Rubbing my hand in circles along his chest, I kept him to my side and felt him shiver. Everyone looked at him slightly surprised by his words.

"We'll build a fire, yeah?" I suggest to the others already knowing we would have to stop here for the night. So that in the morning we could continue our journey wherever Rick was leading us to.

"You go out looking for firewood, stay close. Only got so many arrows. How you doing on ammo?" Daryl said to us and then asked the last question to Rick. Looking at Rick, this was when I noticed he carried two guns. One looked like the gun Shane was given by T-Dog.

"Not enough," Rick said as he walked away a little, not looking back and keeping his eyes on the surroundings. _How did he get Shane's gun if...he died from the walker attack?_

"We can't just sit here with our asses hanging out," Maggie said as Rick handed his coat to Carl. Carl took it gladly and wrapped himself up in it. It looked way too big for him as his little arms didn't fit inside it.

"Watch your mouth," Hershel scolded his daughter which made me smile slightly but sadly. _I used to never be able to keep a hold on Kat's mouth. She sweared more than a sailor sometimes._ "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick," Hershel ordered the rest of us and we all turned to Rick expectantly.

"All right, we'll set up a perimeter. In the morning, we'll find gas and some supplies. We'll keep pushing on," Rick said as he looked at us, coming up with a plan and suggesting it to us all.

"Glenn and I can go make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas," Maggie said trying to change Rick's plan and Rick wasn't taking any of it. _He's...he hasn't cried about Kat at all. Hasn't shed a tear for our daughter. What's wrong with him?_

"No, we stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car," Rick growled at her and tried to keep everyone together. To keep us as a group and to not lose each other like we did before. _I see it now..._

"Rick, we're stranded now," Glenn whispered to him, reminding him that we were here on the abandoned road and with no shelter to cover our heads.

"I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other. I wasn't sure I really wasn't but we did. We're together. We keep it that way. We'll find shelter somewhere. There's gotta be a place," Rick explained as he looked to the group. His voice was firm and of a leader like tone. _I was right..._

"Rick, look around. Okay? There's walkers everywhere. They're migrating or something," Glenn said as he looked to Rick, Carl clung onto me and I could feel my heart pound with sadness.

"There's gotta be a place not just where we hole up, but that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other. I know it's out there. We just have to find it," Rick said as he kept his voice authorive and strong.

"Even if we do find a place and we think it's safe, we can never be sure. For how long? Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that that was safe," Maggie said sounding hopeless. _Rick is doing what's right. He knows Kat would want everyone to keep their hopes up._

"We won't make that mistake again," Hershel reassured his daughter as I kissed the top of Carl's head. He stayed silent, shivering and he was so...frozen. _He must be missing Kat as much as I do._

"We'll make camp tonight over there, get on the road at the break of day," Rick said as he pointed to a few walls that were left standing, their walls seemed good enough to keep us in and to build a fire that wouldn't be so noticeable to any walkers.

"Does this feel right to you?" Carol asked Daryl as she walked up to him and waited for him to answer her. _She got close to Daryl since the whole Sophia situation...and Kat._

"What if walkers come through, or another group like Randall's?" Beth asked while walking up to Rick, expecting answers to come flying out at every direction for people's questions.

"You know I found Randall with Kat, right? He had turned, but he wasn't bit," Daryl said as he looked directly at Rick. Kat's name made me wince a little, taking in a shaky breath and making Carl clutch onto my arm a little tighter.

"How's that possible?" Beth asked Rick, her questions never being answered. Rick looked away and clenched his jaw at the mention of Kat. _He is hurting too...I can see it._

"Rick, what the hell happened?" I asked him as I kept my voice level and calm. Carl was shivering and I could sense him crying silently to himself. _He misses Kat so much. I know he does._

"Shane killed Randall. Just like he always wanted to," Daryl said as though he knew exactly what Shane wanted and...in all honesty...it was true. _Shane just wanted to kill anyone he saw as a threat._

"And then the herd got him?" I asked as I looked to Rick, hoping that this was true and that it wasn't something else. _Surprised Shane didn't kill Rick the first chance they got alone._

"We're all infected," Rick blurted out to us all and made us all silent for a second. _What the hell...how is this even possible?_

"What?" Daryl asked him perplexed about the whole thought of this even being true. _Is he trying to tell us that...no matter how we die...we come back as one of them? Did he...please tell me he didn't accidentally shoot Shane._

"At the CDC, Jenner told me...whatever it is, we all carry it," Rick told us which made us all pace around or look at him surprised, shocked and worried. _This can't be true. This has to be a lie._

"And you never said anything?" Carol asked as she gripped onto her cardigan a little tighter, walking up to him and stopping beside Glenn. Her eyes wide and stunned by this new information.

"Would it have made a difference?" Rick asked as he looked to Carol, keeping his voice calm but serious with every word he said. _They're putting too much pressure on him. They need to back off._

"You knew this whole time?" Glenn asked him incredulous that Rick would keep something like this from all of us. _They aren't thinking. This isn't a secret you just blurt out to everyone. Rick is trying to handle it with care. They're being ungrateful._

"How could I have known for sure? You saw how crazy that mo-" Rick was cut off by Glenn. Rick's face was angry and annoyed by all these questions being thrown at him. _Wouldn't surprise me Rick kept something like this. It's a huge thing to tell!_

"That is not your call. Okay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told, for the good of everyone," Glenn growled at him, pointing out what he had done back at the farm. _Yes...he may have done that but Rick has been trying to keep us all together. Not panicking over something like this new found fact._

"Well, I thought it best that people didn't know," Rick tried to say calmly, his reasons would have been clear but there must have been too much on his mind for him to explain why he didn't want to say why. Rick turned and walked away from us, leaving everyone there stunned and to do their work. Leaving Carl with the others, I decided to follow Rick and calm him down.

"I'm sure you had your reasons. Is there anything that-" I went to ask him, hugging him and sighing as I shut my eyes tightly. _Our poor baby Kat..._Rick was tense but slowly untensed under my warm embrace. Kissing his back to try and comfort him as best as I could.

"I killed him. I killed Shane. He came at me. He killed Randall to get me into the woods. He planned it. I had-I had no choice. I gave him every chance...and he kept leading me further out. He pushed me, and I let him," Rick told me, making my heart stop in my chest for a second.

"And after awhile, I knew I knew what he was doing, what he was up to...and I kept going. I didn't stop. I could have, but I just wanted it over," Rick kept telling me the story and reason behind Shane's death. Slipping my arms out of my hold on him, my hands resting on him and slowly stepped away from him. Taking in the information he had given me.

"Dogging me every step of the way. Acting like I stole you, Carl and...Kat. Like-like I was in the way. I just wanted it over. I wanted him dead. I killed him. He turned. That's how I knew Jenner Jenner was right," my heart couldn't take all of this or my mind. _I lost my daughter and now...Shane. Who was my friend and a lover._

"Carl put him down," Rick said which just made me rest my hands on my knees, my body going slightly limp as my back curved to make me look at the ground. _My baby boy...killed a friend, lost his sister and saved his dad in one night. _

"Ooh," I said feeling the vile come up from all the pain I was feeling. _Is this ever going to stop? I can't believe Rick let Carl kill Shane like that. Let him see Shane turned and ready to eat either one of them. _Rick went to reach out for me, each time he did I would hit him and move away from him. My expression mad and pained. Eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. _What a mess..._

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

We were both growing tired, all the running and the dodging of walkers, every so often we would stop and check for ammo. There wasn't much left and they were mostly for shotguns or for different types of pistols. Walkers were still following us, some weren't as close and some weren't as closely together.

One walker was coming up to us from behind and one to the side, grabbing the one from behind, I knocked it to the ground and dug my knife into it's head. Andrea grabbed the other one and sliced it up by the neck and through to its brain. She got so tired that she fell onto me. "Andrea!" I screamed when she laid on top of me, a walker was gurgling.

My front was pressed to the ground and Andrea's back was pressed into mine. She was screaming, trying to keep the walker off of us and this was when I heard the walker become silent. Andrea was panting, I tried to turn to face forward and was stunned to see a figure in a cloak. A katana in their hand our hearts were pounding, Andrea and I relieved and trying to regain our breaths...

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><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"We're not safe with him...keeping something like that from us. Why do you need him? He's just gonna pull you down," Carol whispered to me, looking around and checking to see if Rick was around.

"No. Rick's done all right by me," I say and then thought of Kat...of Carl and the other Grimes members. Carl was so...sad and silent. It was as though the boy had no more feelings inside him, like he had turned numb. Lori was still disoriented from the thought of her daughter being possibly dead. Rick was...he seemed lost and numb too.

"You're his henchman and I'm a burden. You deserve better," Carol grumbled at me angered about something. _What I deserve is some fucking peace. Kat's...wherever the fuck she is. I just hope she's alive and well. The Grimes seem torn apart without Kat and the others seem terrorfied or angered about what happened._

"What do you want?" I asked her getting tired of her nagging. _She's always complaining about Rick. She should be thanking Rick for making Kat. Seeing as she saved her sorry ass. _

"A man of honor," Carol said as she looked up at me. Her blue eyes shining in the light of the fire. She was kind of heart...reminded me of someone and made me feel cared for. What she said though...shocked me a little.

"Rick has honor," I growled unhappy with how she was talking about Rick. _He is doing what's right. He lost his fucking daughter for God's sake! Can't she give him a break? He's got too much pressure on his shoulders as it is._

"I think we should take our chances," Maggie said as she looked to Glenn, her eyes were dull and her face was inches away from Glenns. Her expression was one of fear and of worry.

"Don't be foolish. There's no food, no fuel, no ammo," Hershel grumbled, holding onto Beth's hand and keeping her close to him. _He loves his daughters too. Hershel is a good man and understands Rick and respects him. Puts both Rick and Hershel on good terms with me._

"What was that?" Beth asked as she heard something from the distance snap, everyone stood alarmed or curious as to what it was. _All a bunch of pansies. They get scared with their own shadows._

"Could be anything...could be a raccoon, could be a possum," I suggest as I got up and looked around and could hear something come closer to us, raising my bow and watching out for anything that could come out from the darkness.

"Walker?" Glenn asked and this made me roll my eyes. This was when Rick walked towards us and stood by the enterance of this little four walled house. All of us staring out into the distance and all of the others were panicked.

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"We need to leave. I mean what are we waiting for?" Carol asked panicked, looking around and clutching her cardigan to her and a look of worry clear on her face. _Why is everyone so panicked?_

"Which way?" Glenn asked as he looked around, searching from where the sound came from and gripped onto his shotgun tightly. _Everyone is so afraid. How are we even making it this far?_

"It came from over there," Maggie said as she stood up and held her own shotgun that her dad gave her. _Fuck...what would Kat say and do to keep everyone hopeful and to make them not worry?_

"Back from where we came," Beth said as she looked towards where the sound of a twig snapping came from. Looking to where she said, I saw nothing but darkness.

"Yeah," Maggie agreed as she gave a nod. Her expression was dull and worried. _Kat wouldn't like this. At all. She wouldn't even stand for this! She'd think we were all being irrational._

"The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark. We don't have the vehicles. No one's traveling on foot," I growled at them, telling them exactly what was going to happen and how it was going to be. _No more kid stuff._

"Don't panic," Hershel tried to reassure his family. Reassure his nervous daughters and looked to them kindly. Trying to keep them relaxed and untense. _Kat was never as tense as these girls...and she was only 19 when she...was lost or died. Whatever._

"I'm not-...I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move, now," Maggie said as she looked to the others, her panick was clear in her voice and she wanted nothing more than to escape. _Fear...that will destroy us. I learned that now._

"No one is going anywhere," I growled at them as I stepped closer to them, closer to the fire and looked directly at them. _This is becoming the last straw. Everyone keeps panicking, they're going to draw attention and then we'll be screwed._

"Do something," Carol pleaded of me as if I wasn't doing enough. _How ungrateful can this woman be? She hated me for saving her daughter, hates me now because we have a plan and no roof over our heads. Not to mention...I lost my daughter while Kat tried to save her._

"I am doing something! I'm keeping this group together. Alive. I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this! I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake! Lost my own fucking daughter to save your lives!" I growled at them, my voice strong and angered from their constant panicking and suggestions and questions. Everyone grew silent and sad.

"You saw what Shane was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice. He was my friend, but he came after me. My hands are clean!" I told them of what happened and they all looked to me differently. Some sad, some angry and some stunned. Carl was sobbing into his mother's chest since I mentioned Kat.

"Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe maybe I'm fooling myself again. Why don't you-...why don't you go and find out yourself? Send me a postcard!" I growled, challenging them and telling them that this world wasn't what it was like_._

"Go on, there's the door. You can do better? Let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine...but get one thing straight you're staying. This isn't a democracy anymore," I tell them and they just stayed silent and still. We needed to follow orders. From a leader. That leader would have to be me...

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><p><strong>So...the Grimes family have...well...split. It made me sad to write this but...it has to happen in order for each character to develop on their own. Especially Kat. Like I said...Kat throughout the seasons:<strong>

**1: Loyal Grimes **

**2: Leader/protector/defender/'hero'**

**3: Fighter/protector**

**4: Warrior/hero **

**5: Still don't know...she might be dead by then...who knows?**

**Now...for this chapter I would like 10 reviews!**** Seeing as it was the season finale but...I will be adding two or one more chapter/s for this season seeing as it will guide us swiftly into season 3. It will be my own work for it, all off the top of my head and then...BOOM. Season 3 will commence. The chapter/s before season 3 may be a little short but...it will help with the narrative.**

**So...answer these questions in the form of the review: What were your favourite moments in this season? What was your favourite chapter? Who is your favourite character so far? What would you like to see in season 3? **

**Without further a do...replies! **

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><p><strong>jessica. orr. 1884: Well...she did know something was up. Especially how Shane was acting and how everything was seen. The lock being on, the cuffs, the broken neck and footprints. It was all solid evidence that it was a set up to Kat. Not just the sense of Rick's life. Thank you for the review dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Well...Kat is lost with Andrea and Michonne so...I don't see Kat and Rick talking any time soon. Or Carl for that matter. Or any DarylKat moments. But...you'll just have to see what I have up my sleve. Love you too dear! Thank you for the review!**

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><p><strong>redangle2463: I hope you have a lovely christmas and an amazing new year dear. I love writing the CarlKat moments because...it shows how much they care about each other, how they think of one another and how much they trust each other. They're best friends and siblings at the same time which...pulls at my own heart strings when I write it.**

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><p><strong>Until the next chapter...<strong>

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	19. Chapter 19: Kat the hero

Chapter 19: Kat the hero

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><p><strong>(P.S...are you ready for a marathon?! Two chapters will be flying your way. This chapter and then the next! Enjoy! I won't answer the reviews until the chapter after this one! So...stay tuned and leave me reveiws for both chapters!)<strong>

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><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

_~10 years ago~_

_Carl and I were sat on a bench, watching Kat perform her gymnastics routine, a smile on my face and my eyes glowing with pride. She performed beautifully. Elegant and charmingly. "Hey baby girl!" I called to her when it was finished, she walked to me with a smile plastered on her face. "You were so good!" I complimented her, this made her smile but slowly it faded and turned into a frown._

_"Did...did I make you proud?" she asked me sadly as she looked to the ground. Her eyes shy and sad as she shuffled a little on her feet. Her brown curls were up in a bun and her small figure was in her outfit for the show. Taking one of her arms in my hand, I looked to her and was confused as to why she would ask me this._

_"Of course you did! Why would you ask me that?" I asked her stunned that she would even ask me that. Holding her arm with one hand, the other holding Carl to me and my eyes watching her curiously._

_"I...I feel like I don't. Like I just keep making you disappointed," Kat said, her bottom lip pouting a little and her face sad. Her eyes never met mine and I just held Carl to me, looking to her I felt a little sad and gave her a warm, sad expression on my face. _

_"Oh baby girl...no matter what you do or how you do it...I will always be proud of you. Always have been and always will be. I'm always proud of you Katherine," I tell her softly as I pinched her chin lightly and nuzzled my nose to hers. This made her smile and I held her closely to me in a hug. Smiling as I held her, I felt the words never feel as true as they did then._

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><p><strong>Present day...RPOV<strong>

"All right...me and Daryl are going back to the farm, to check and see if Kat and Andrea made it," I say as I gathered up my weapons and headed towards the others, they had all woken and ate a little food that we had gathered. All of us resting in a house that we had found a drive away from the first night we spent away from the farm.

"When you're ready...you can find me by the car," Daryl spoke as he agreed to my instructions, he walked out and held onto his crossbow. Walking up to my family slowly, I saw Carl and Lori stood side by side watching me.

"Hey..." I spoke softly as I got closer to them. Both of them hugged me tightly, Lori gently kissed my cheek and Carl was holding back his tears from the fears he held back.

"If Kat's still alive...you'll bring her back...won't you?" Carl asked me this silly question, making me chuckle and look to him with a small smile. _What a silly question to ask me. She's my daughter...his sister...our blood._

"Of course," I answered him. Holding the back of his neck and shaking his head a little. Lori smiled at me sadly, she too was worried about Kat and her well being. _Such a silly question._

"Good luck...and be careful. Please. We don't know how many walkers you will find on the farm. Not after what happened," Lori told me as she rubbed my arm gently. _Days ago she didn't want anything to do with me...now...she cares. _

"I know. I'll be fine. We just got to worry about Kat and Andrea right now," I tell her and she carefully placed her hand against my cheek. Her thumb rubbing it softly and calmly. "Besides...I have Daryl with me," I remind her as I took her hand and slowly pulled it off my face.

"I know..." she answered with a small smile. Her hands reaching down to hold Carl against her. Holding the top of his shoulders as she looked up at me and he stayed there. Looking up at me.

"Please be careful dad...we already lost Kat...I don't want to lose you too," Carl said sadly as he looked up at me with those blue eyes and then quickly looked away. Kats face popped into my mind and made me frown a little.

"I'll be okay. Promise," I promised him as I crouched down to his level and he reached out to hug me to him. Holding him, I held the back of his neck and ruffled his head kindly. My eyes looking up at Lori who sniffed as to hold back her tears.

"Keep together and don't go somewhere without a partner or armed. We'll be back soon," I ordered the others, opening the door and heading out. I saw Daryl stood by the car and waiting for me. Hopping I started the car and drove out towards the farm. Back to Kat and Andrea. To find them.

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><p><strong>NPOV<strong>

The two drove silently, Rick was tense enough with the thought of his daughter our there and with no clue as to what state she was in. Daryl was tense himself at the same thought. He wanted nothing more than for Kat and Andrea to be okay. So that they could return and calm the stilled heart that missed them so.

When they reached the farm, there were few walkers and they sneaked to the farm. Using the crossbow to take down any walkers and slowly walked to the house. Searching around the farm, they came across too many dead bodies to figure out if Andrea or Kat had survived or not. They came across too many footprints for Daryl to tell for certain if either women were alive.

What did surprised both men was something they came across. There were shot down bodies, too many to be exact so they couldn't tell that it had been the three walkers that piled onto Kat. The bodies were rolled around, spread away from each other and many more bodies surrounded them. What they did see though...was a machete.

Rick's heart sank, his jaw clenched and he swalled a hard lump in his throat. Daryl's eyes turned sad as he noticed it, both men looking down at the very familiar machete and while Rick crouched down to retrieve it, Daryl stood guard and watched for walkers.

Rick picked it up, examining it and feeling his heart sink. He had no idea if she was dead or alive, all he could tell was there was blood on the ground and no body of Kat's to be found. Or of Andrea's. The men were clueless and sadly...thinking the worst possible scene to have happened. That Kat was in fact dead to them. Daryl knew that Kat wouldn't go anywhere without her machete, that it was her side kick.

When Rick stood up straight, he looked to Daryl and slipped the machete where his daughter would hold it. Keeping it in her rememberance and as his own. Daryl and Rick left to go back to the others. Both men were sad but hid it by putting a solid and stern face. They wouldn't breakdown and Rick didn't know if he even could at this moment. Memories of his daughter flooded his mind but he tried not to take notice of it.

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><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

Seeing Rick pull up with Daryl, I ran towards them and Carl stayed close. We were in a house but stayed silent and waited for the men to enter through the door. My heart dropped when I saw Kat wasn't with them. "R-Rick? Where's Kat?" I asked him my voice cracking at the thought of my daughter truly being dead.

"She's...I...all I found was this," Rick said as he pulled out Kat's machete. My heart sank and shattered. _Oh dear God...no...no...no! _Tears overwhelemed me in the matter of seconds, Carl began to sob and ran away from us, running up the stairs into a room and shut the door loudly.

"She's...she's dead Rick...she...she would never leave this behind," I say as I sobbed and looked to the machete. The one Kat would never leave behind. It was stuck to her always and now...I had no real proof that she was alive or dead or...a walker.

"We found a lot of blood next to this...can't say for sure if it was her blood or a walkers," Daryl informed me sadly and everyone stood to see me crash and burn. My sobs shook me, my vision blurred and I left the room to be by myself.

"Oh sweetie...I know how it feels-" Carol said as she followed me, she placed her hands on my back and tried to comfort me, rubbing my shoulders and trying to ease my mind. My heart broke at the thought of my poor Katherine out there...

"No! You don't know how I feel!" I shouted at Carol, angered with her for even trying to say she knew what my position was like. "You at least knew where your daughter ended up! I-I don't know where she is! If she's dead...if she's alive...if she's a...walker. God! I don't know where she is and if she's even alive Carol!" I shouted at her, my tears shook me and made me not able to pronounce my words correctly from my anger.

"How dare you say you know how I feel!" I shouted. "I have lost my daughter...my friend...my son won't stop crying out of missing his sister and Rick...he's turned cold. Lifeless! How can you say you know exactly how I feel?!" I growled at her, my voice no longer shouting at her and I slid down a wall to sit on my ass. To pull my legs to my chest and lower my head in guilt.

"I-" Carol went to speak but I just looked away from her. Not meeting her eyes as she crouched down to look at me. Ignoring her the best I could, I shook my head and cried silently to myself.

"Leave me alone," I told her, not looking up at her and keeping my eyes to the ground. Away from her saddened gaze. "Please," I pleaded as I looked up at her, my eyes were sore and my heart was somehow still beating. My mind drowning in my sorrow and guilt. She gave me a sad nod and smile before leaving me to be by myself.

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><p><strong>CPOV<strong>

"Go away!" I shouted when I heard a knock on the door, my tears making me not sound as threatening as I wanted it to be. My heart was shreaded at the thought of my sister outside there...dead. Alone. A walker. God knew what happened to her.

"It's me...can I please come in?" I heard a small voice call to me. It was one I could recognize from it's softness and timidness. _Beth._ Gathering myself, I sat a little differently on the bed and pressed my back against the wall.

"Fine...but close the door behind you," I called out to her, knowing she wouldn't be here to sadden me more than I already was. She slowly opened the door, peeking her head inside and stepped in slowly.

"Hey...I'm sorry to hear about your sister," she apologized as she walked in, sitting beside me carefully I kept my head hidden in my knees and didn't look up at her. _Is it that people are afraid to say her name or something? Kat. Her name was Kat._

"She must have survived she...she wouldn't give up and..." I said as the tears kept flowing out of my eyes and down my cheeks. _I feel so low...she must have survived. Kat she's...she's strong and brave. Braver than me. _

"When I lost my mom and Shaun...I wanted nothing more than to die," Beth admitted as she looked down at her legs that swung off the side of the bed. "But...I kept strong. Your mom was the one that told me that there were others that needed me. Maggie...my dad...they need me. Just like your mom and dad need you," she said as she looked to me.

"Just like your sibling will need you," she reminded me of the sibling that was growing inside my mom's stomach. _If I failed Kat...what's not to say I won't fail whoever is in mom's stomach? I couldn't even kill the walker that killed Dale..._

"I need Kat..." I said as my voice broke. _No one gets it...Kat has always been there for me. Since I could remember. She's my best friend and my only sibling. We've been through so much...it's hard to think she just...died. Especially like that._

"I know you do but...Andrea once told me that...the pain doesn't go away. We just need to make room for it," Beth said, her blue eyes reminding my of Kats eyes but...Kats were more angelic blue...like crystals. Beths were more the blue of the sea. Her blonde hair was messy but her face was one of comfort. _She's pretty._

"What if to make room for the pain...I just won't feel at all?" I asked her worried that I would go numb just to not to feel that pain. Knowing that the presence of Kat was no longer here. That she was...gone. Forever.

"I thought that too once...but...I guess...no one can ever learn not to feel," she said as though she knew what it was like to go numb. _Kat said she once felt numb. When she lost Sophia I saw that blank and dull expression on her face. I knew she was numb then and there._

"I guess you're right..." I say blankly as I let the tears roll down my face slowly. Silently. Looking up at her, I blinked away any other building tears and watched her pale face stretch into a smile and kind expression.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," she said politely as she got up and wiped down her pants. Leaving me, she walked out and looked back at me, her hand on the handle of the door. Clutching my arms around my legs, I pressed my knees against my chest and sighed, lowering my head and surrendering to my thoughts.

"Thank you...Beth," I mumbled to her as she looked to me. With the smile still on her lips, she walked out and closed the door behind her. Leaving me to myself and to my thoughts. _I miss you Kat..._

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><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"Hey Rick...you all right?" I asked him as I sat closely to him. He had sat down and stared down at the machete in his hands. We weren't doing anything and I was guessing we wouldn't be doing anything until the Grimes family recovered from the knowledge that Kat had died.

"I-...I don't know," Rick said as his voice sounded dull. "I feel like I should be crying...but...I can't force myself to do so. Kat she...she wouldn't want me crying over her and she would want me to stay strong. For the group...for our family," Rick said honourably. He seemed pained and it wouldn't surprise me...he lost his daughter and only had the memories and machete to remind him of her.

"Yeah...she would. She's good and smart like that," I agree as I thought of the blue eyed, pale but slightly tanned girl. Her small but strong looking structer, her curves and fuller breasts compared to her mother. Her sweet smell, pinkish red lips and gentle voice.

"Yeah...she's always been like that. I just...God...why do I feel like this?" Rick asked himself more than me, he rubbed at his face and kept the machete away from his face surprising me in this action. Sighing, I looked to the ground and gulped.

"It's been a rough couple of weeks," I tell him and he laughed dryly, looking around and nodding to himself. _I miss Kat...to think I'll never see her again or...argue or even speak to her again...it...makes me sad. I don't even want to know what it's doing to the other Grimes members._

"You can say that again," Rick agreed as he looked to me, his eyebrow slightly raised and his expression was one of frustration and others mixed in. _He seems...lost. Like he doesn't know where else to go from this._

"So...what's our next move?" I asked him, hopeful that he had a plan and that he could maybe make him start thinking of something other than his dead daughter. _Why is it I feel like we can't say her name out of respect and for not making them sad?_

"Find somewhere safe...supplies...what we always do. Sooner or later...we should be able to find somewhere safe enough to live in," Rick said hopeful himself. His voice still dull and dry, almost raspy. He looked at the others, making me look up and notice Beth come back to her family.

"For what it's worth...you can count on me if there is anything you need," I tell him kindly. _Someone's got to look out for him. Seeing as both Lori and Carl are still trying to deal with Kat and themselves. Everyone else can feel the pain too. All of us...grieving._

"Thank you Daryl," Rick answered as he looked up at me, his blue eyes a little startling. I could sense...gratitude from them. _The same look Kat gave me once. Wow...to think I will only see her blue eyes through her brother and father...I still miss the sparkle and illuminated hope behind her eyes..._

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Now...from my return of the farm...Kat...she...there's no way to tell if either of them are alive but...judging by the scene that was before our eyes...Kat's dead. She...died a hero," I say as we all gathered around Kat's machete that I placed on the floor.

"She saved me," Carol agreed, reminding us of what happend back at the farm. Carl and Lori were sad, silent and staring down at the machete. Everyone else silent and sad whereas Carl and Lori seemed depressed. _They have every right to feel like that but...it isn't good for them or the baby._

"That's right. Kat saved Carol...even-...even if it cost her, her life. She died a hero and a hero is what we'll remember her by," I tell them and looked up at them. Their expressions sad and all of us stared down at Kat's machete. Remembering her in this...funeral like memorial.

"I'm sure that...Lori will feel the same when I say that we are proud as parents...to say our daughter died with honour and as the hero she ended up being," I spoke as I looked up at Lori, her bottom lip trembled, her eyes on the machete and her head nodding at my words.

"Kat the hero," Glenn said as he bent down to place his fingertips on the machete, everyone else repeating his words and placing their fingertips to touch the machete. Joining them, I repeated the words and they all walked away to do whatever they pleased. Taking the machete, I decided to keep it and use it as my own. _I'm going to keep hope alive Kat...for you. In honour of you..._

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><p><strong>So...this chapter was a little hard to write. Sorry it's so short but...you have to live with it! This is to show you one side of the group and the next will be...{Waits} Kat, Michonne and Andrea's little group and how they're getting on. Yes...Kat is alive but now you know how they see it. How they believe things turned out to be. <strong>

**I felt sad for having to split the family up but...you'll eventually see why. Kat will grow without her family and will...change in ways. As will the Grimes family. It will all make sense with season 3 coming up after the next chapter. Can't wait! So buckle up! Also...please can I have some reviews?**

**Until the next chapter...**

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	20. Chapter 20: Kat the abandoned

Chapter 20: Kat the abandoned

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><p><strong>(Part two of the marathon! Hope you like this chapter too!)<strong>

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><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

_~Weeks ago~_

_"How do you do it?" T-Dog asked me as he sat down oposite me on the table, we were having breakfast and were some of the first to wake up. Looking at him, I was confused as to what he was asking me._

_"Do what?" I asked him in return instead of answering his questions. My head tilting a little in curiousity. He pointed his spoon at me a little playful but serious in the way he looked at me. _

_"Keep hope alive like you do?" he questioned me and I just giggled. I thought it was a joke for a second but then I realized he was completely honest. Raising an eyebrow I waited a moment longer for him to tell me it was a joke but it never came._

_"Well...the way I see it is...someone has to. Otherwise...we're all hopeless," I answer him as I looked down at my plate of toast and scrambled eggs. T-Dog just watched me from the corner of my eyes but I never looked up at him._

_"Why do I get the feeling it's not just that?" he asked me slightly amused by the way I spoke. Looking up at him quickly from under my lashes, I looked back down and then back to him. His eyes watching me intently. _

_"Because...in all honesty...I have to stay hopeful. Not just for myself and the group but...for my family. Especially Carl. If he loses hope...there will be no point in living anymore," I answer him truthfully. It's what big sisters do and Carl knew that._

_"Don't you ever get tired?" T-Dog asked me surprised. As though I would ever get tired of keeping hope alive in my heart, mind and soul. It was something one could never tire of. Especially with younger siblings and a family like mine._

_"Never," I answered with a small smirk. Making T-Dog chuckle and shake his head at me. We both finished our food and got to work. Carl woke up and I spent most of my time with him and then decided to help around with the farm. Keeping my distance from Shane since what happened at the barn._

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><p><strong>Present day...KPOV<strong>

I was walking beside Andrea, the two of us stumbling a little over the piles of bodies the hooded figure was leaving with their Katana. Wandering around, I looked up and got fed up with the silence. With not knowing who this person was and what to call them. Or even their gender!

"Erm...thanks for saving us back there but...I would really like to be able to call you something other than 'the last samurai' and 'the lone hooded samurai'," I said to the figure who walked ahead silently with walkers following them. The walkers were on chains, of a darker skin tone and had no arms or teeth.

The figure stayed silent and kept walking ahead of us. Sighing I looked to Andrea and saw her looking just as exhaused as I did. We had been walking for what felt like hours and I had no clue where we were heading. We just followed the figure knowing that with them we would be safer at the very least. "You try Andrea," I tell her and she looked to me from the corner of her eye.

"Shut up Kat...please," she said which made me look at her stunned but I fell silent instead of being childish by answering back to her. "Look...I have to agree. We are grateful that you saved us but...I would feel a lot better knowing who I was thanking for saving my life back there. For saving both our lives," Andrea said gently to the hooded figure.

The hooded figure stayed silent and kept walking. Never looking back or faultering from her constant moving. Looking at Andrea she shared the same look I did. We couldn't believe we couldn't convince them to speak. "I...I have a family. They would go to the highway to meet us. Please...lead us there and when we join them...you can be on your way or...stay," I try to convince them and it made them stop for a second.

The hooded figure then began to walk again and the hope I had left. "A brother...he's only 12 years old. My mom...dad...an unborn child that is still to come. Please understand that I need to get back to them. They're my family," I tried to convince them and they stopped. Slowing down, me and Andrea came to a halt. Seeing them slowly nod, they began to walk again and lead us to another direction.

"They'll be by the supplies. Where we first broke down. I know it," I say pleased and excited to get back to my family. Andrea smiled at me slightly and stayed silent. We kept walking for what felt like more hours, the sun was still high but I wasn't sure it would be high enough for when we got there.

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><p>When we got to the highway, we found the sign that was written to Sophia and sat by the car. The supplies that was there was now gone. <em>They were here but...they left. <em>Keeping hopeful, I sat down and waited. Seeing the sun slowly go down, Andrea and the hooded figure stayed still or paced around.

"Kat...this is stupid. They're not coming back for us. Face it...they've left us," Andrea said and I looked at her surprised that she would say something like that. _My family would never do such a thing. Ever. Especially not my dad or Carl...or mom!_

"Why are you saying this?" I asked her unsure of what she was saying. She stopped beside me, uncrossing her arms and sighed. Her eyes shut momentarily, then there was a flash of blue and she frowned at me slightly.

"Kat...your parents aren't coming back for us. Non of them are coming back for us. They left us back at the farm and aren't coming back. They probably think we're dead and...even though I hate to say it...we're on our own now," she tells me as she looked at me and I felt my heart pound in my chest.

"No. That can't be. They wouldn't. I survived. They have to know we survived," I mumbled and paced around, unhappy with her words and negativity. _Why is she trying to bring me down? Why?!_

"Kat we-" she went to say but that was when I felt the rage build in my veins, warming up my body and lighting a fire in my soul. A burning passion to get back to my family and to tell Andrea exactly what I thought to her.

"No! Don't! All right?! I am not giving up on my family the way you gave up on your life! I won't lose the only hope I have in this world. My family. They are what keeps me going. I've been through more hell than you think you've been through. You are the one who fucked Shane!" I said and she gaped as though to say something.

"Don't even try to deny it! I smelt that smell before and believe me...you reaked! As for you losing Amy...I'm sorry about that. She was nice. She was a friend to me. Sophia...I felt bad about her for days! I thought I was the one to save her. That...I could have done something to save her from those walkers but...I froze!" I shout at her mad with her.

"As for fucking Randall...I'm glad he's dead. He helped a guy who tried to rape me in the woods! He deserved what he got and...as for Dale...I'm sorry but...we all lost Dale, Amy, Jacqui, Jim and Sophia. We all did! Not just you okay?!" I shouted at her mad that she had been so selfless these past few weeks.

"I went out there every day...looking for that little girl. Only to get attacked in the woods and to find out she died long before we could even find her. When Carl got shot...I wanted to take that pain away. I wanted to be by his side so bad but...I had to do what was right to Sophia. To fix my mistake," I tell her my voice saddening.

"When Randall showed up...when my mom was injured...I felt nothing but dread. Sorrow. Anger. Pain. Every time I looked at him...I thought of what he did in the woods to me...as to what he had done to other girls before me. Then...Dale died...I argued with him about the whole Randall situation but...I don't regret it," I tell her honestly.

"I felt sorrow for Carl. He went out in the woods...did something stupid and...he thought he was the reason Dale died. I had to fix that. I had to make sure my family were safe and happy all the time. You...all you did was sleep around with Shane, learn how to shoot a gun and...almost killed Daryl," I reminded her and she winced, looking away from me hurt.

"Now...the farm got overrun. I saved you and Carol. All I want is to get back to my family. I want to be there to protect them through this time. To be there for when the baby comes. To help them with whatever they need because...like it or not. The group as a whole...is my family. Our family," I tell her, her expressions softening.

"We've been through hell...but we've been through it together. What I need is...to get back to my family. To our family," I ask of her and she gave me a nod. "Escort or no...I need to get back to them. We need to get back to them," I spoke and Andrea smiled, she gently rubbed my arm and looked at me kindly.

"I'll help you get back to your family Kat. To our family," Andrea said, a smile on her lips and a smile on my own. _There is always hope. Even in our darkest moments. I believe it and...I've seen it. Just now in the form of me and Andrea._

"Count me in too," said a voice I didn't recognize. Turning our gaze, I looked to the hooded figure and saw them walk up to us, this was when I noticed it was a more feminine figure than it was masculine. "My name's...Michonne," the female voice said as she lowered her hood, revealing her face and making both me and Andrea smile at her.

"Thank you...Michonne," I said kindly and hugged Andrea's side to me, her arms wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me to her. _I'm glad I can count on them. Wait for me Carl, mom and dad...I'll be back to you soon enough. Promise._

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><p>We had walked for what felt like hours. Reaching a house, we entered and noticed it was spotless. What surprised us was there was water, fresh clothes and this was when both me and Andrea decided to take turns to clean up. When we were both done, we walked towards the dinning room and found it to be empty. Only Michonne was sat down on the floor and hid something behind her back.<p>

Andrea sat down beside her and smirked at both Michonne and then to me. "Your mom told me something about you once...she told me that you enjoy a certain snack very much," Andrea giggled before Michonne slipped whatever was behind her back to show it to me. Gasping I was wide eyed when I looked down at it.

Sitting down beside them, I took the package gently from Michonne's hands, a smile on her face and my own smile grew so wide that it hurt. "Powdered donuts!" I all but squealed when I looked at them. "Me and Carl loved these! We would always get...filthy," I said happily but it then turned sad at the thought of my brother.

Andrea smiled at me sadly, she then looked to Michonne who seemed slightly confused but pleased by my reaction. "Carl is her brother," she said and I looked at them with a sad smile of my own.

"We'll find your family," Michonne said, her voice was slightly rough and intimidating. It was still kind with how softly she tried to speak to me. Opening the packet, I passed the box and grabbed my own donut. Eating it, I felt the powder fly into my nose and all around my lips. Humming, I chewed on it and enjoyed every second of it.

By the time we were all finished with our first donut we were all covered around our lips with the white powder. Giggling we all examined each other and took a second donut. Eating it, I dabbed the powder around my mouth and cheeks. Andrea grabbed hers took a bite and then dabbed it around her eyes, nose and mouth. Michonne took hers and rubbed it all over her face.

When we all looked to each other we all laughed at each other. Commenting on what we thought each of us looked like. Andrea said I looked like a porcelain doll. I told Michonne she looked like a ghost. Michonne said that Andrea looked like a panda if the colours were swapped around. All of us laughing and looking silly around each other, having fun and forgetting that the world had gone to shit, even if it was for a moment.

We kept moving, going forward and I would make signs that would talk to my family. Andrea asked me if that would work and I just told her I hoped it would. When we travelled around, we found some more weapons and ammo. Instead of my lost machete, I found a better machete and kept it where my old one used to be.

One day in the woods, my hair was loose and my hairband had broke. A walker got too close and grabbed at me. Struggling to get it off me, it was gripping at my long brown curls and was about to grab a bite of me from behind. I thought I was gone until I felt the weight disappear. The head of the walker rolled away from us and I saw Michonne clean her sword before looking to me again.

That night, when we holed up in a house and stayed inside, I decided to cut at my hair with my knife. Slowly, I saw Andrea walk towards me confused, watching me cut my hair short enough that walkers wouldn't be able to grab at it. "What are you doing?" she asked me curiously.

"I'm doing everything I can to get back to my family," I answered her and kept cutting at my hair. My hair was just a little above my shoulder and the curls slowly started to go to that new height. Michonne was by the door, keeping watch and cleaning her sword.

"Smart," Michonne mentioned as she watched every strand of hair fall to the ground. My legs crossed and the knife cutting through my hair with a little force. Sawing it, I kept going until it reached above my shoulders and shook out any hairs that stayed with my freshly cut hair.

"Very," Andrea agreed as they both watched me, Andrea was stood and Michonne was sat on a stool. My hair was now short, my skin was slightly more tanned from all the walking we had done under the sunlight and I could feel myself getting closer to my family with every day that came by. _I'll be with you again soon...mom...dad...Carl. Soon. I promise..._

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><p><strong>So! What did you think? I enjoyed this more...tough, on the edge but slightly carefree Kat. She's serious about finding her family and she wants nothing but that. Determined Kat huh? Sorry for no Karyl moments but...you'll get enough sooner or later. Leave me some love in reviews please. Tell me your thoughts and what you want to happen! <strong>

**Now...replies to your reviews!**

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Thank you for the review and I hope you liked these past two chapters!<strong>

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><p><strong>redangle2463: There will be scenes between the three. You'll see what happens throughout the next few seasons. Glad Kat is your favourite. She's mine too! Thank you for your review dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>Guest: Well...you'll just have to wait and see. No spoilers until the chapters come up but...it will be one hell of a season. I can tell you that. Don't worry. Soon enough Kat will reunite with her family. Until then...hold on! Thank you for your review!<strong>

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><p><strong>Until next chapter...<strong>

**Much love! **

**HeroJustInTime90 x **


	21. Chapter 21: Sanctuary

Chapter 21: Sanctuary

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

_~16 years ago~_

_"Hey Kat...doing homework?" I asked her as I walked into the kitchen, Lori was at work still and Kat was sitting down on the dinning room chair, leaning over her work and looking at it frustratedly._

_"Yeah...I'm struggling," she answered me, her cute little face was contorted in confusion and frustration. Her blue eyes sad and as though she was close to giving up. Chuckling I shook my head at her. Remembering that school work wasn't easy._

_"Best thing to know is...to keep trying and sooner or later you'll get it. You just need to keep at it and eventually you'll figure it out," I tell her and she looked up at me, her blue eyes bright and her small face stretching into a smile._

_"Can you still help me?" she pleaded, batting her eyelashes and her brown curls falling around the sides of her head perfectly. Her cute small face making my heart warm up and my smile stick to my face._

_"Of course," I agreed and sat down beside her. Chuckling at how she could easily get me to do things with one simple look. How she always convinced me of doing things I may not have done with other people. She knew how to pull at my heart strings..._

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><p><strong>Present day...RPOV<strong>

It had been 8 months. Running, keeping ourselves safe and trying to get by through the winter. 8 months that...Kat had died or never showed up. _She had to be dead. There was no other explanation._ It had been so long and Lori was looking as though she was about to give birth any moment now. Daryl had been supportive of every decision I made, always by my side and protecting me from anything that could cause me harm.

Carl seemed...tougher. He knew how to use the gun and wasn't afraid of walkers anymore. He grew a friendship with Beth and...slowly we moved on from Kat. I still missed her. Every single day. Trying to do what would be right by her and keeping her machete for when I needed to use it. Which was often enough. No one mentioned her name after we found the machete back at the farm. Not since that day had we thought of her so constantly.

The days got easier when it came to thinking about Kat. There were moments that I knew she would have been proud of me, her mom and Carl. Of the group as a whole. How we didn't argue and just worked as a team, keeping each other safe and always moving forward. There were moments I thought of her and frowned or smiled. As a father...you just had to miss your child. Especially your first born.

Getting ready to scavenge, we decided to go house to house and find shelter even if it was for the night. I assigned Carl, Daryl and T-Dog to help me clear the house. The others were to wait and keep the roads clear of walkers while we searched the house. Daryl frightened me slightly but we kept clearing the house of walkers. Carl went to look for food or any other supplies, Daryl and T-Dog went upstairs to clear it of any walkers, while I helped bring in the others.

Maggie and Glenn moved the bodies to one side and we all gathered into a room. Carl came in with some canned food and sat down. All of us were hungry, our food supply was low and we needed to find something to eat. Checking the windows, watching out for walkers and finding non coming so far. I walked over picked up the can and checked the date and what it was. _Dog food. No way are we going to be starving enough to eat dog food. Never._

Throwing the can against the wall, I walked back and looked around me. Daryl was plucking at an owl he had killed and the others just looked at me sadly. Carl looked down with...disappointment and I just looked to each of them. Knowing exactly what I wanted to say. "Psst," T-Dog called to us as he looked out the window and we saw walkers coming closer to us. Rushing out the back door way, we ran to our cars and drove away.

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><p>"15. You're on point," I tell Carl as I looked to the distance. We had parked on the road by where we first spent the night, we had been gathering supplies, doing whatever we needed to in order to survive and it was never easy. We had to be smart about things.<p>

"We got no place left to go," T-Dog said as Maggie pulled out the map and rolled it out on the car. Showing us the places we had marked on the map to show us where herd, the places we raided and the zones we knew were safe are. Looking down, I had to agree with T-Dog to an extent.

"When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We'll never make it south," Maggie said as she examined the map, everyone were at their posts and doing what needed to be done. Carl was watching out for walkers as was Beth and Lori was sat in the car.

"What would you say? That was about 150 head?" Daryl asked as she walked towards us. During these past few months, Daryl became a respectable member of our group. A solid member of our family. He was always looking out for us even if he did stay silent most of the time and used words to communicate more to Carol than to any of us.

"That was last week. It could be twice that by now," Glenn discussed as we all looked down at the map. Examining it I saw what everyone was talking about and stayed silent. Taking into account of what everyone thought and trying to figure out a good enough route.

"This river could have delayed them. If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear right through there," Hershel spoke as he looked to the map and pointed to where he believed we shout go. _Hmm..._

"Yeah, but if this group joins with that one, they could spill out this way," T-Dog said as he pointed to the map, showing us what he spoke of and making me nod. _Seems a little more risky than usual these days..._

"So we're blocked," Maggie concluded as she sighed and looked down at the map. All of us fell silent and studdied the map for a few moments longer. _There are too many walkers and too many areas we've searched..._

"Only thing to do is double back at 27 and swing towards Greenville," I suggest, showing them the way on the map and looking to each of them. They all seemed to more or less agree with it and kept their eyes on either me or the map.

"Yeah, we picked through that already. It's like we spent the winter going in circles," T-Dog pointed out to me which made me feel slightly mad. _He really believes I don't already know this? Where else can we go that hasn't already been marked on the map?_

"Yeah, I know. I know. At Newnan we'll push west. Haven't been through there yet. We can't keep going house to house," I said to them as I looked to each of them. Hopeful with this plan and sure that there would at least be something to find there. "Need to find someplace to hole up for a few weeks," I said as I looked up to see Lori in the car. Thinking of her and the baby.

"All right. It cool if we get to the creek before we head out? Won't take long. We got to fill up on water. We can boil it later," T-Dog asked and explained as he prepared the things he needed for the trip. _Nothing else better for them to do...is there?_

"Knock yourself out," I agreed with him subtly. I was about to walk away and talk to Carl. To make sure that there were no threats lurking around and was stopped by Hershel. There were things we couldn't control during this struggle. Hunger, danger, thirst, our skins tanning and most obviously...the growth of our hair. Lori had always placed her hair in pony tails, much like how our daughter did and Carl's hair was reaching his shoulders slightly.

My hair had become longer and curlier, my skin more tanned and my muscles grew tighter. Hershel grew a beard and longer hair. My beard was beginning to grow but it was still stubbly. The heat in this time was unbearable with the fear and constant fighting making us sweat more than we needed to.

"She can't take much more of this moving about," Hershel told me which made me look to him and stop in my tracks to look at him. _As though I didn't already know that Hershel. I did and I haven't forgetten Lori being pregnant thank you very much._

"What else can we do? Let her give birth on the run?" I asked him and looked to him. His blue eyes were caring, a sea like blue not the same blue that Carl or...I did. Ours were a light blue, almost like baby blues and bright. _Hers was always bright, filled with life and shone like crystals. I miss her..._

"Do you see a way around that?" Hershel asked me his eyes directly looking into mine. His hand rested on my shoulder and gave me slight comfort. _What is there to see? The map told us there was no safety anywhere...especially not for a baby and for a birth to happen._

"Hey, while the others wash their panties, let's go hunt. That owl didn't exactly hit the spot," Daryl suggested as fixed up his crossbow. Agreeing, we headed out into the woods and followed a train track, hunting down some squirrels and a few rabbits. We soon came across something that made us stop and stare at it. A safehaven..."That's a shame," Daryl commented as we looked out to a prison. Its fences high and walkers roaming along the outside and aimlessly on the inside. That was when I got a plan...

* * *

><p>"Watch the backside," T-Dog commanded as I cut a hole through the fence wide enough and tall enough for us all to get through with clippers. One by one they slipped inside and looked around. It seemed secure enough to hold and to keep us safe.<p>

"Got it," Lori spoke as she ushered others to go in and then climbed in herself. T-Dog was one of the last ones to go in, he took guard and watch for any walkers that got too close.

"Hurry. Hurry!" I told him as I held it open for him, he turned around and quickly got inside with the others. Squeezing through, I got inside and Glenn began to wire the hole up so that no walkers could enter through were we did. To keep us safe and to not allow anything to make its way through.

Running along the sides of where we came, Daryl ran ahead and clutched to his crossbow in one hand and his quiver in the other. Inside the quiver were his own makeshift arrows that he had made. When we reached the gates, I looked towards the field and saw the greatest thing to relieve me. "It's perfect," I stated as I looked to it. It was safe and the perfect place for us to call home.

"If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight," I encouraged them when I turned and looked at them. Telling them of what could happen if we all worked well and in a team.

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel asked me curious as to how we would take over this land and make it ours. _It would be perfect for Lori to have her baby. Safe. Secure. Guardered by the fences and...it's...we could do a lot with this place. Could fortify it. Make it our home..._

"I'll do it. You guys cover me," Glenn told us as he figured out a plan for himself. Wanting to take the hard task for us all and put himself at risk. Shaking my head, I had to think of another plan that I knew would work and would guarantee that no one would die.

"No. It's a suicide run," Maggie said protectively. _The pair really did grow together. They were strongest when together and always showed their love to each other in front of us. Not all the time but they had their moments. She really cares about him and he her. _

"I'm the fastest," Glenn explained, reminding me of the time I was trapped in the tank and the time we went back for Merle...with my daughter. _She was always so brave and strong. Always risking her life in order to save others. A hero. An unforgettable one. She would want us to find shelter. I know she would._

"No, you, Maggie, and Beth draw as many as you can over there. Pop 'em through the fence," I said as I pointed to each of them. "Daryl, go back to the other tower," I said as I pointed to the one I spoke of. "Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste," I explained calmly as I looked into her eyes. "Hershel, you and Carl take this tower," I said and pointed to the tower above us.

"All right," Carl agreed as he turned and headed for the tower with Hershel following closely behind him. _He's turned into a strong little warrior. He's no longer afraid and...he knows how to look out for himself. I'm proud and I know his sister would be too...he's grown up over the past few months...she would have been 20 by now._

"I'll run for the gate," I said as though this was a death sentence for me. Fear shook me slightly, Maggie, Glenn and Beth began to bang on the fences, drawing the attention away from me and towards the three of them. Taking them down from the fences, I waited for enough of them to pass by and gave Lori a nod for her to open the gates.

Running along, I shot down any walkers that were too close or would cause me any threat if they noticed me. Almost getting grabbed by one of the walkers, I saw a bolt fly across the field and land in a the walker's head. Right between its eyeballs. Looking up, I saw Daryl hold up his crossbow from the guard tower and gave him a nod. A small smile on my lips.

Running closer towards a gate that led to the jail cells, I heard a gun fire and almost shoot me. It hit the ground as I backed away and made me look up. "Sorry!" Carol shouted down at me, no time to respond I continued to rush towards the gate and kicked down a walker that tried to get out.

Locking the gate with what they handed me and ran towards the tower that stood by it. Shooting down a few walkers, I got to the top of the tower and heard Daryl shout out "Light it up!" and we all began to fire at any roaming walkers. Slowly, one by one they all fell and the field grew quiet. I felt joy from this moment, bliss even and hope.

"Whoooo!" I could hear T-Dog's laughter and cheer as everyone else said their own thoughts on it all. We all felt free and safe in this new place. _Today was a good day. A very good day and we got lucky. _Checking walkers to be certain they were dead, we then decided to set up a fire and eat the food we still had and had hunted earlier.

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

We had all worked together into pulling the bodies away from the fields and pushed the flipped over truck to block the entrance from any walkers that were clever enough to open the gates. It was dark out and we had cooked up the squirrels Daryl had found earlier with Rick on their hunt. "Mmm. Just like mom used to make," Glenn said as he threw away the bone he had finished eating.

"Tomorrow we'll put all the bodies together. Want to keep them away from that water. Now, if we can dig a canal under the fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water," T-Dog informed us which made me want to smile. _My daughter would have loved this. To see us triumph over the dead and work as a team like we did._

"The soil is good. We could plant some seed. Grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soybeans," Hershel spoke as he examined the soil that were between his fingers. He sounded full of hope and happiness.

"That's his third time around. If there was any part of it compromised, he'd have found it by now," Hershel spoke as he looked to Rick who was walking along the fences, checking to see if any of them got in and kept walking around. Rick had been cold towards me...as had Carl. Especially when they both found out that I was there when my daughter had been taken down. That I saw it.

I felt as though they blamed me for it. They didn't understand and believe me when I told them I wanted nothing more than to go out there and save her. That I was going to do everything I could to have saved her but...it turned out to be too late and impossible in the end. Rick had been...cold since he lost both his best friend and daughter. He wouldn't speak. Just give orders to us all.

Carl grew silent. He would listen to his fathers commands but he would never spend time with me. He would only sit beside me whenever we ate and would kill off walkers as though he had a hidden anger towards them. _He probably thinks of them as though they were the walkers that killed his sister. _

"This'll be a good place to have the baby. Safe," Beth told me as the fire crackled in the soft night air. The sounds of crickets invaded my ears as I thought to myself. Smiling to the girl kindly but looking blankly into the distance, pausing the meal I was eating and placing my hand to rest onto my bump. _She would have wanted to be here for all of this...for the 8 months she had been dead and missed the moment of her sibling showing..._

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

"It's not much, but if I don't bring you something, you won't eat at all," Carol said after lifting her up, she had placed the plate on top of the tilted truck and stood beside me atop it. The night sky was dark and filled with stars. The air was humid and made me look to Carol.

"I guess 'Little Shane' over there has got quite the appetite," I joked sarcastically and truthfully. Eating the food off the plate Carol had given me, I looked to the sky and then to her. Not bothered of her seeing me eat like this seeing as she would be the one to bring me food and spend time with me.

Carol and I got close. Not just from the whole Sophia situation and of what happened in the farm. She just was good to be around, she was kind and light hearted at times. She worried but it was natural to worry in a world like this. She was someone I could confide in and someone I cared about. As though she were family. 8 months does things to people. Makes us grow, understand and respect people.

"Don't be mean," Carol giggled and then looked towards the group. "Rick's gotten us a lot farther than I ever thought he would, I'll give him that," she sighed as we both thought of Shane. _Shane was so stubborn, he would of ended up killing the Greene family and kept the land for his own keep._

"Mm-hmm," I agreed as I thought of the time in the farm. Of Sophia...of...the other Grimes. Of all the shit we went through there and how everything changed since then. Not only had Rick became our leader but...he turned cold and emotionless at times. The whole Grimes family were affected by the death of the girl Grimes. All of us were affected.

"Shane could never have done that," she said which made me look to the group. They were all sat by the fire, Rick was walking alongside the fences and never moved from them. Keeping his eyes on the walkers and fences incase they broke or got through a hole we didn't see. The others seemed to be relaxing under the stars and by the warmth of the burning fire.

"What's wrong?" I asked Carol as I saw her shrug and roll her shoulders slightly. As though she was in pain from something. It made me worry about her and curious as to why she was moving her body like this. _Did she get bit? Did she break something?_

"It's that rifle. The kickback. I'm just not used to it," she told me as she tried to reach the spot that hurt her. Rubbing at it and squeezing it as though that would help it. _She's probably just sprained it or worked it a little too hard._

"Hold on," I tell her as I placed the plate to one side and sucked my fingers clean. Gesturing for her to get closer to me, she turned her back on me and I rubbed at her shoulder. Massaging it and feeling her tense muscles un tense under my fingers. "Better get back," I tell her when I knew her arm was better enough for her to go.

"It's pretty romantic. Want to screw around?" Carol joked. She was always like this. It was harmless fun and I didn't take it too seriously. _She's just a friend...family. I don't see her that way and...I don't think I ever could._

"Pfft," I said as I looked to her and then back down to the floor. "I'll go down first," I suggest to her as I went to get to the ground first. So that I could assist her and so that she wouldn't have to work her arms too hard after her telling me she hurt her arm with the gun.

"Even better," Carol teased as she made the suggestion sound dirty. _Dirty woman. Very dirty. Who knew this could come from her like this? Oh well...it's all fun and games with her. Silly, stupid woman._

"Stop," I told her, not growling at her but keeping my voice stern so that she knew that the jokes had to stop. My cheeks burned in the darkness but I was glad that she couldn't see it. Getting to the floor, I carefully helped her down and we both made our way back to the others by the fire.

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"Bethy, sing Paddy Reilly for me. I haven't heard that, I think, since your mother was alive," Hershel suggested, reminiscing in the past and the fact she supposedly sang. _Much like my daughter did too. She was so...gentle and sang every word as though she meant it...and at times...she did._

"Daddy, not that one, please," Maggie pleaded, possibly by the song choice or by the fact it might not have been suitable for this moment in time. No one knew exactly but we sat there waiting to see what they would agree on.

"How about 'Parting Glass'?" Hershel suggested again and this made Beth look up at him slightly confused and shyly. Wide eyed like she didn't want to sing that song out of fear of something. _What could she be afraid of?_

"No one wants to hear," Beth spoke as though she was declaring a statement. This made me look to her sadly. Reminding me of how shy my daughter would get whenever I would ask her to sing for me or perform on her guitar. _She would always do it in the end...so couragous...my little girl._

"Why not?" Glenn asked his voice curious and his eyes expectant. As though he wanted to hear his sister in law sing for them. To forget the horrors we had faced over the months and to enjoy in the moment we had here of peace.

"Okay," Beth agreed, looking to Carl I saw him watching her, his eyes slightly blank and staring at her but...right past her at the same time. _Could he be thinking about his sister too? About how she sang him to sleep sometimes when he would have nightmares? Of how she would sing for us when we asked her to? _

"Of all the money e'er I had I spent it in good company...and all the harm e'er I've ever done, alas it was to none but me. And all I've done for want of wit to memory now I can't recall, so fill to me the parting glass good night and joy be with you all," Beth sang. Her voice sweet and soft.

"I had some," I said as Rick tried to hand me his food. Filled enough to feel my small but huge stomach burst. I couldn't eat any more and I knew that Rick had to eat too. It wouldn't be fair to eat his food and leave him with nothing in the end. He needed food just as much as I did. He wouldn't eat until I at least took a piece of the meat and when I did, I placed it down on my dish and he moved his plate away from me.

"Oh, all the comrades that e'er I had, were sorry for my going away and all the sweethearts that e'er I had would wish me one more day to stay...but since it falls unto my lot, that I should rise and you should not. I'll gently rise and I'll softly call 'good night and joy be with you all'. Good night and joy be with you all..." Beth sang with the help of Maggie harmonizing with her. Making them both sing beautifully. Rick watching them as we all were gathered around the fire. Silent and listening to the two girls sing. A smile would play on my lips at the thought of my daughter.

"Beautiful," Hershel praised his daughters, caressing Beths back and smiling to the two of them. My eyes drifting to look at Carl and Rick. They both seemed to be drowning in their thoughts. As though they both wanted to stay silent or to burst out and say what they wanted to.

"Better all turn in. I'll take watch over there. Got a big day tomorrow," Rick told the others as they all looked at him slightly confused and exhausted. T-Dog sat up from his laying down position and looked to Rick, expecting answers and clearer explanations.

"What do you mean?" Glenn asked Rick as he looked to him. We were all confused as to what Rick meant by that. As to what he had planned and in store for us. _I hope it isn't something that can get us all killed._

"Look, I know we're all exhausted. This was a great win...but we've got to push just a little bit more. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early. It could mean the supplies may be intact. They'd have an infirmary, a commissary," Rick tried to convince us of his new plan and possible outcome.

"An armory?" Daryl asked as he got closer to us. He seemed to have become a great asset to our group. One of honour and honesty. Of concern and security. He gave us safety and was the right hand man to Rick since the death of Shane. Everyone had their part to play for Rick by how he treated us.

"That would be outside the prison itself, but not too far away. Warden's offices would have info on the location. Weapons, food, medicine. This place could be a gold mine," Rick informed us as he kept his hope alive. Looking down I could sense Carl did the same thing too. _My daughter would be proud of her father._

"We're dangerously low on ammo. We'd run out before we make a dent," Hershel said as he looked to Rick as though this was a suicide mission. _It would be...can still be if we aren't careful and let everyone rest up the way they should. We're all exhausted, all this running and now this...we're as safe as we could hope to be._

"That's why we have to go in there...hand to hand. After all we've been through, we can handle it, I know it," Rick encouraged us, keeping us hopeful and looking towards our goal. To get these supplies and the shelter we needed. The shelter we deserved after all the trouble we went through. "These assholes don't stand a chance," Rick said as he looked down at Carl. A smile playing on Carl's lips.

"Psst," I called to Rick as he began to walk away from the group and head back to go guard the fences. "I appreciate everything you're doing...and we all do, but it's been a death march and they're exhausted. Can we just enjoy it for a few days?" I ask him as I looked to him, he stopped and turned to walk back to face me.

"Baby will be here in a few days. There's no time for a picnic," Rick whispered back to me, his eyes dark and dull under this light. He seemed to be looking at me with that cold expression that was now plastered on his face. We rarely spoke, it was always orders and commands or small talk.

"No, but it's time to get the house in order," I inform him, encouraging him to find us somewhere safe for me to give birth to said baby. _Staying out here...so close to walkers and yet safer than it was out there...it wouldn't be easy for us all and I wouldn't feel safe._

"What do you think I'm doing?" Rick asked me as he got close to my face, growling slightly as he questioned me. His eyes glaring me down as though I was being stupid and looked to me incredulously. _I seem to always get things wrong now..._

"Your absolute best," I tell him and he just looks to me. I tried to sound as supportive and as kind as I could. As encouraging as I could be in this situation and with these decisions he was making by himself mostly. It was getting hard since I didn't know how to answer to him these days without feeling like I failed him, disappointed him and angered him all at the same time.

"Don't patronize me," Rick growled at me unhappy with my answer. _What else could I say under that pressure and to that question?! I don't know how to talk to him without being intimidated or feeling a little hurt after our talks._

"I'm not. I'm just saying the baby is about to be here...and we need to talk about-" I spoke to him as I cradled my stomach and followed him. He was walking away from me and kept his back to me. Ever since our daughter died he had turned cold on me, gave me a look in his eyes that told me I was to blame about everything. _About Shane. About...her._

"About what?" Rick growled at me, knowing about the fact that our daughter may have came out naturally but that Carl was a c section. That if we were to have another child. That if I were to fall pregnant again, it could me having to give birth the same I did with Carl. As we were warned by our doctor who had studdied me and took care of me.

"Things we've been avoiding-" I went to tell him as he turned to look at me. Anger clear in his voice and stance. He wasn't pleased at all. When I said this I felt as though there was more to this conversation than just talking about the baby. About Shane...and our daughter. About all that has happened. Not to mention Rick hadn't shed a tear for either of their deaths.

"You want to talk? Talk to Hershel. I'm doing stuff, Lori. 'Things.' Isn't that enough? I'm still here," Rick growled at me and reminded me of the things we hadn't said. _He hadn't told me he loved me in so long...but...I don't know if he felt that any more. I simply don't know._

"You're right. I'm sorry," I agreed as he stared me down. Shying away from his gaze. He became so aggressive and cold towards me and some of the others. He tried to keep himself happy for Carl and to keep the others hopeful. But we could all see it on his face. Arguing with him was tiring. As I said this he gave me a nod and walked away. A few tears escaped the corners of my eyes as I gathered up my emotions and returned to the others.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Ready?" I asked as I prepared the gate that led to a court to the cell blocks. Opening it up, Glenn, Daryl, Maggie, T-Dog and I headed inside. Killing off any walkers that got too close. "Daryl," I called out to him so that he could wander off a little and kill a walker.

"We may need that!" T-Dog shouted to me as we all gradually killed off the walkers that were in the yard. T-Dog ran out from our formation and went to pick up some sort of cop shield. When we all got back to our formation, we killed off walkers in our team and kept pushing forwards.

"Almost there," I told them but reaching a guard tower, I opened the door and looked around the corner. There was another gate which kept walkers in but was opened and we hid behind the guard tower, out of their sights. A few walkers in guard suits came towards us. Daryl tried to shoot it with his crossbow but it didn't work. "Daryl!" I shouted as I pushed a walker guard down and ran towards the gate.

The walkers were attempting to get out but I kicked one down and Daryl helped me to secure the gate. Shutting it and locking it so that non could escape. "Seen that?" I heard Maggie say after killing a walker with a scream. Her eyes wide as she realized a new trick in killing the walkers.

Following her example, I grabbed one that had a type of gas mask and ripped it off him. While it laid on the floor, the gas mask being ripped of it's face pulled it's skill along with it and showed me it's skull. Shoving the machete into its head and waiting for it to stop moving, slowly all the guard walkers were dead. "Stop," I said after I got to my feet. The stench rising to my nose and making me scrunch my face up in disgust.

"Well, it looks secure," Glenn said after we all checked to see if we got every walker and checking for any more possible surprises. Finding non, we all gathered around and talked things over. Agreeing with his words more or less.

"Nothing will lead to that courtyard over there...and that's a civilian," Daryl said as he pointed to a walker woman that laid on the ground. Cleaning my machete a little, I felt my fingers run along the familiar blade. Thinking of how Kat would always take care of it and how she sadly didn't take care of herself. _8 long months._

"So the interior could be over run by walkers from outside the prison," T-Dog pointed out, leaning against a pillar and looking towards the group of walkers we had kept inside behind a gate. The others stayed outside the gate, along the fields and watched us from the distance.

"Well, if there's walls, then, what are we gonna do? We can't rebuild this whole place," Glenn pointed out. Glenn was right on this. _Even if we had the materials...we wouldn't have the time and exact knowledge on how to fortify this place as it needed to be. Also...it would be too dangerous._

"We can't risk a blind spot. We have to push in," I tell them and pointed to a cell block. Walking towards it, I walked quietly and nudged for Daryl to open the door, preparing my machete. When the door squeaked opened, nothing came towards us and it was silent. Pushing open another door, we shut the door behind us and walked into the cell.

The first thing we saw was a room that we saw was a cafeteria and a guard perch where they could watch the criminals. Checking the room, I looked up at the perch and saw that there was blood stained on the window. Walking up, I checked the perch and found that the guard hadn't turned. He only shot himself, taking the keys, I showed them to Daryl and this was when I decided to go back down.

Opening up the gates, we slowly walked in and saw that some of bodies that laid in the jail were shot down. Seeing Daryl up the stairs, I followed after him and we both heard a noise. A clang of the jail bars. Heading towards it, we jumped a little at the two walkers in seprate cells reaching out for us. Gurgling and growling to grab a bite out of us. Killing them both, we decided it was safe enough to let the others in and to bunker down for the night.

The others pulled the bodies from the cells and piled them into a corner. "What do you think?" I asked them as I was making my way down. Lori and the others all walking in, checking the cell block and looking around slightly amazed.

"Home, sweet, home," Glenn teased as he carried some stuff towards different cells, placing them in either the cell or to plant them on the ground. He was helping the others as they all walked in and checked to see what it was like.

"For the time being," I spoke, reminding them that we didn't have to stay if it wasn't safe and if they didn't find this place as to what they wanted. _It seems safe enough for a few days...maybe if we're lucky for a long enough amount of time to look after the baby. _

"It's secure?" Lori asked as she looked around the cell block, checking the cells and looking at me slightly surprised. _Why does she always question me? It makes me feel like I do nothing right to her. That maybe she prefered Shane here instead of me and..._

"This cell block is," I answered as I pushed aside my thoughts. Looking at Lori and how she cradled her stomach. How she cradled the baby. _It's going to be here soon. I needed to prepare for it. So that it was safe for the baby and so that we could have the supplies that were needed._

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked as he held onto his things, looking at me with curiousity and interest. _He could be thinking the same thing as me. That this is the perfect place for the baby and that maybe we would need to find some supplies to make sure the baby stayed alive. Along with Lori._

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary," I inform them all, knowing that everyone heard me and wouldn't deny me. _Playing the part of the leader does that to a group. It wasn't a democracy anymore and the only way we would survive is if we listened to one person and not all do as we pleased._

"We'll sleep in the cells?" Beth asked me as she looked at a cell, disgusted and slightly worried. _What? Is she afraid of being in a cell? It's as safe as we could ever be now in this fucking world. It would be safe for the baby and its sure as hell safer than the farm._

"I found keys on some guards. Daryl has a set too," I tell them, so that they knew exactly who they would have to go up to. So that they could get the keys and if they wanted to, they could now be safe and locked up in their cells if they asked either of us. Trusting Daryl felt easy seeing as he was always by my side and supporting me.

"I ain't sleeping in no cage. I'll take the perch," Daryl said which made Carol smile up at him. Her eyes gleaming and watching Daryl as he walked away. Walking towards another perch that was where a guard would look after the prisoners.

"Come on," Carol called to Lori as she walked away and headed up the stairs to sleep somewhere possibly close to Daryl. _The two had grown very close to each other. Closer than what friends should be. It wouldn't surprise me if they were actually dating. They come across more like that than they did as friends._

"Thank you," Lori spoke softly a she went to reach out and touch me. Ignoring her gesture I shrugged my arm and shoulder away. Moving to walk out and check the outside again. To make sure the gates and fences were locked. That there were no walkers around and no weak spots where walkers could get through...

* * *

><p><strong>CPOV<strong>

"Pretty gross," Beth said as she got in and looked around at her cell. Blood was splattered all over one side of her wall and the beds seemed old and worn out. Like they had been used for so long but weren't comfortable or functional to use or sleep in.

"Yeah, remember the storage units?" I asked her as I chuckled to myself lightly. Beth was a good friend of mine. She was really pretty but...she sadly was nothing like my sister. K...she knew how to look after me and how to make me smile when I felt down. These days I kept going because I knew it was what she wanted me to do but...no connection will ever be as strong as the one I had with her.

"It's actually-...it's actually comfortable. Check it out," Beth told me as she sat down and jumped on the bed a little, testing the springs and looking up at me with her sea blue eyes. Dropping my stuff by her bed, I looked up and was touching the bed, checking it and almost about to climb up to rest on it.

"You find your cell yet?" I heard Hershel's raspy voice asked behind me. It scared me a little and made me jump. Turning to look at him, I grabbed my stuff and put on a brave face. Trying not to look suspicious as he looked at me.

"Yeah, I was just making sure Beth was safe. See you tomorrow," I answered Hershel and stuttered a little. Looking up at Hershel and then to Beth as I walked away. Leaving them to be alone and found another cell to be by myself. To sleep alone like I would have to do sometimes. Especially after my sister died.

"See you," Beth answered as I left. I missed my sister from time to time. Especially whenever I would hear dad sounding hopeful or when small things she used to do would show up in different ways. Like last night with the song. It was soothing but...it reminded me of my sister. How she would sit in my room and sing me to sleep or strum her guitar and sing me a song I would request. _I miss her...so much..._

* * *

><p><strong>NPOV<strong>

The room that three women were hiding in grew quiet. Too quiet for comfort. Only two women were in the abandoned shelter. The woman holding the Katana was on edge, walking closer and her sword ready to be pulled out. She walked closer to the room where she heard movement, close to killing her blonde friend but relaxed when she realized it was just that. Her friend.

The woman was releived but was soon tense when she heard movement shuffle closely. It may have been silent to some but the Katana weilding woman it was loud enough for her to become alert again. As the footsteps drew closer, the woman's heart was pounding and her body alert, ready to pull out her sword and kill whatever it was that was coming towards them.

When the footsteps got closer, the figure of someone came towards them and from out of the shadows. The Katana flew out, steady in the woman's hands and went to slice at the person's head. At the end of the Katana's blade was a brunette, blue eyed and slightly shocked woman. Her hands up in surrender as she took a step back away from the Katana's possible blow if she hadn't been careful. The two looking to each other stunned and trying to relax from the tension they had felt.

* * *

><p><strong>KPOV<strong>

"Jesus...relax Michonne. It's me," I said as Michonne kept her sword's tip close to my neck and my hands were raised in surrender. I had kept my hair short, I would cut it whenever my hair grew too long and I became good friends with these two companions.

Michonne had taught us a lot. How to sneak around, how to scavenge correctly and how to defend ourselves with a number of walkers. It was mostly because we all would work independantly but I would always do something they didn't after every raid. I would leave a message for my family. Telling them I was here and that I was still alive.

Michonne was a quiet type, a lone ranger type of girl and could get out with her quick mind and skills. My skin was more tanned than it normally would be, a soft brownish glow on my skin and my curls were still soft and long but it was short. The tops of my hair was straight and half way was where my curls began. My muscles grew from the meat that I used to have. I wasn't fat or chubby but...I wasn't as built as I was now.

Not only did my muscles grow, but so did my skills and my mental state. If I ever got into tight sqeezes, I knew what to do and got out quicky, if there weren't many walkers roaming around where I was searching, I would kill them silently and distract them in different ways so I could kill them easily. This is what I had to do in order to get some water for an ill Andrea while Michonne found some medicine.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked Andrea who was laid on the ground, her eyes looking tiredly up at the sun. Michonne slipped her sword back into its place and we both looked down at Andrea. Her eyes were shut and her fingers clutching to a scarf like poncho Michonne had found on one of her scavengings.

"I needed some light," she told us as I gently assisted her to get to her ass. So that she was sitting and not laying down as though she was ready to die. Michonne pulled out some pills that were in a sachet and showed it to Andrea.

"Take this," Michonne said as Andrea opened her mouth and allowed for Michonne to feed her these tablets. Opening my bag, I pulled out a fresh bottle of water and handed it to Michonne who was crouched down in front of Andrea. Michonne took it from me slowly and tilted it so Andrea could drink up and swallow the tablets.

"How is it out there?" Andrea asked as she looked up to the two of us. Her blue eyes tired and dry looking from the illness she had caught. Her face was covered in glossy sweat, one that would cling to your skin in your infected by a flu like state. It worried me to see Andrea look like this. So helpless and weak.

"Same. It's quiet," Michonne said, I stayed silent and unsure of what to say to her. I was glad it was Michonne because I didn't like the thought of telling Andrea of the small herd that was coming our way. That we would need to evacuate the building and head somewhere else.

"You're lying," Andrea suspected when she saw Michonne not look her in the eye when she spoke. My heart pounding and struggling to find words of comfort. This was Michonne who had to deal with this. _Not me. I can't lie to her. We've all been through so much together. I don't want to have to lie to Andrea like Michonne was..._

"We should go in a few days," Michonne tried to reason, to slightly hint that yes, there were walkers coming but that we could last a day or two more. That we needed to in order to protect Andrea and to gather enough supplies. To make sure that we didn't run out on anything at any time.

"They're coming. Both of you should go," Andrea growled at us after coughing a little. She had become ill after a harsh winter. This spring/summer heat wouldn't help her with her cold and it made me sad. Since the farm got overrun, the three of us grew close because we had each others backs but because we all understood each other. We had a mission and I wasn't going to leave either of them behind.

"No," I said quickly which made Andrea and Michonne look at me. My voice stern and almost authorative. When I spoke like this it always reminded me of my dad. How he acted like our leader for us at Hershel's farm and when I would order Carl to do things in order to be safe. _I miss them. I'll see them soon enough._

"We said we would find my family together. We're not splitting up...and we're certainly not leaving you behind," I told her reminding her of the day we left the farm and argued in the area where my family had took the supplies we left for Sophia. That we weren't going to split up and that we were going to find my family together. The three of us. _8 months...mom must be close to having the baby._

"I'll hold both of you back. Go. I can take care of myself. I saved both your asses all winter, didn't I?" Andrea coughed out at the end and Michonne just patted her back, went to give her some more water and Andrea just slapped the bottle away. Spilling water all over the place. "I won't have either of you dying for me. Good soldiers won't leave your posts. Screw you two," Andrea grumbled at us. Ignoring her insulting type comment, I sat beside her and tried to ease her stress a little.

"We'll go in a few days," I repeated Michonne's words, looking up to meet Michonne's brown eyes and see that she showed me kindness in her stare. That we both agreed and would do anything that was better suited for Andrea's heal and life.

"If we stay I'll die here," Andrea whispered up at the two of us, her sweaty face and ill like features made me feel sad. Looking up at Michonne, the two of us gulped as we looked to each other. We knew what had to be done...so we took the walkers Michonne kept chained and headed out.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Not bad," Daryl said as he looked down at the new found equitment we had gathered from the guards and other drawers that we had scavenged. Placing them all on the table and other things we could use to protect our skin by covering them with strong materials the guards used.

"Flashbangs, CS Triple-Chasers. Not sure how they'd work on walkers, but we'll take it," I say as I picked up objects, checking them out and saying their names to the others. _Pretty good stuff...and if we use them well...they might be a good thing to use to assist us in our searchings._

"I ain't wearing this shit," Daryl grumbled as he picked up a helmet and we all saw the gloop fall out of the helmet he tilted. All of us pulling distrubed faces and Daryl just dropped the helmet back onto the table, looking to us and wiping his hand along his pants.

"We could boil 'em," T-Dog said as he picked up a glove and the same gloop fell out of it. Stepping away from the gloop and shit that came out of it. The rotten smell making me feel like throwing up and I kept it in. As to not seem weak and clearly disturbed.

"Ain't enough firewood in the whole forest. No. Besides, we made it this far without 'em, right?" Daryl growled out, pointing out the facts and making me agree. _If we're smart, skilled, work as a team and fast...we can handle the walkers. Especially if we all don't stray too far from the group and stay in our tight formations. _

"Hershel," Carol called to the elder man I allowed us to join in our searching of the supplies we would need to gather. Not only had Carol gotten close to Daryl, but also to Hershel and Lori. Seeing as no one knew what was to come in the future and since the argument between Carol and Lori, they appologized and stayed close together.

"Everything all right?" I asked curious as to what she would want Hershel for. We were waiting on Glenn and Maggie to wake up to get the search started. Hershel went to follow after Carol but Carol just looked at me and gave me a small smile.

"Yeah. Nothing to worry about," Carol said as though it was meant to reassure me. _She's probably taking Hershel to Lori to talk about the baby. Lori must have listened to my words of advice. I don't want to know what her worries are about the baby. I have my own worries and things to deal with. We need to gather supplies and other stuff for the baby. Before it comes which could be any day now._

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><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"It's the baby. I think I lost it," I tell him, rubbing at my pants and feeling my body shake. I was terrified that the baby could be dead and that any moment we could all die. That there were questions un answered and that could possibly lead to a terrible fate.

"You haven't felt it move?" Hershel asked me as he looked to me curiously, worried and leaning in to look at me. His eyes searching mine but I looked away from his gaze. Unsure of what to say to him.

"Nothing...and no Braxton-Hicks. At first I thought it was exhaustion or malnutrition," I say trying to keep myself hopeful but feeling it crumble at the thought of the baby dead inside me. That I wasn't providing for it like I should have and that I could die any second.

"You're anemic?" Hershel asked me curiously, it sounded more as a statement rather than a question. _Well...what else could this be? Is it really that obvious or is it just my worry and that no one understands what's going on in my mind?_

"If we're all infected, then so is the baby. So what if it's stillborn? What if it's dead inside me right now? What if it rips me apart?" I asked him feeling my nerves unsettle me, my eyes tearing up and my nose sniffling.

"Stop. Don't let your fear take control of you," Hershel warned me and it made me frown. _Fear is always a presence in this new world. It follows us no matter where we go and who we are. I can see it on everyones face at different times and moments. We all fear._

"Okay. Then let's say it lives and I die during childbirth," I suggest to him, stating all the possibilities and knowing that I don't know how to prevent my death from this. _Doctors told me the next child I had would most likely be a c-section. Meaning I would probably bleed out before having my baby come out of me and before they could save me._

"That's not going to happen," Hershel said firmly which made me laugh a little. _So hopefull and strong...how could he possibly know what will happen to me during the birth of my child? What do I do if that happened? What would we do?_

"Why not? How many women died in childbirth before modern medicine? If I come back, what if I attack it? Or you? Or Rick? Or Carl? If I do, if there is any chance...you put me down immediately. You don't hesitate, me, the baby if we're walkers, you don't hesitate and you don't try to save us. Okay?" I tell him and asked him questions, not allowing him time to answer them. Worried for the safety of those that I love.

"It might have been better if-" I went to say thinking about the rough times that had come and gone. Yet the tougher times were still to come. _I know it won't be easy to keep a child safe in this world. It wasn't safe for...my daughter. It barely is safe for Carl and it won't be safe for even the baby._

"If what?" Hershel asked me, edging closer in curiousity, wanting to hear what I had to say and looked to me with kind eyes. _He's always so calm and kind towards me yet...it's going to happen to all of us. We're all going to die and there's no stopping it. Espeically in this cruel world._

"I'd never made it off the farm," I revealed to him my thoughts. My mind flashing images of what happened that night on the farm. Of those moments that I held so close to me. Of my daughter. Of her death and the pain I had felt when I lost her. _The same time I had lost my husband and son..._

"You're exhausted, frightened," Hershel told me kindly. Making me nod and agree with his words. _Too right. I'm exhausted about everything and...we're always frightened. Every one of us even if we try and hide it...it's still there. _

"Yeah, that's true. My son can't stand me...and my husband, after what I put them through..." I say as I thought of my daughter. How I didn't help her and how rough we had been towards each other. I feel like they hate me and...I honestly hate myself.

"We've all been carrying that weight. All winter," Hershel reminded me as I looked down, feeling the sadness come back to me like a fresh slap. _They hate me. Blame me for my daughter's death. I don't blame them. I left her there even if it caused the most painful hurt to invade my heart. _

"I tried to talk to Rick. He-" I spoke, my voice trembling at the thought of every time Rick would reject me of my words. Ignoring the suggestions of us talking to one another about what happened. _He hates me for it and...I can never bring myself to talking to Carl. _

"He'll come around," Hershel encouraged me, trying to reassure me with his lies and making me force a smile on my face. Tears began to fall from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. _My poor baby girl..._

"They hate me. Rick's too good a man to say it, but I know. I put him and Shane at odds. I put that knife in his hand. I left K...I left her at the farm," I say remembering all that had happened before winter came. When we had lost so much. People that we cared about and loved.

"You know who doesn't give a shit about that? This baby. Now let's make sure everything's all right," Hershel said which made me laugh a little. Wiping at my eyes and looking down at my stomach. _She would want me to care for myself and for this baby...she was good like that. _Hershel then examined me and checked to see if everything was okay...

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"You won't need that. I need you to stay put," I tell Carl as we looked to him and saw him trying to put on the helmet. The others buckling up their vests that would have saved them from bullets. Carl looked at me stunned and slightly annoyed by this.

"You're kidding," he grumbled agrivated with the fact he couldn't join us. _It has to be done. To keep him safe and the others. Especially since we have too many men going further in trying to help me find the supplies we would need in order to survive and save lives._

"We don't know what's in there. Something goes wrong, you could be the last man standing. I need you to handle things here," I tell him as everyone looked around and gathered their things. Some were listening in and watching our exchange of words.

"Sure," he agreed and I smiled at him. Handing him the keys, he slipped his hat on and probably felt the responsibilty of keeping the others safe on his arms. _He wants to become a man, he needs to learn that it's others safety as well as yours. That this life isn't just about doing what's brave. It can cost you your life...just like what happened at the farm...to his sister._

"Great. Let's go," I tell the others as we all began to walk out towards another part of the cell. Looking up, I saw Lori leaning against the balcony and looking down at me. Her eyes soft and sad. Her expression tired and slightly loving. _I don't know how I feel about this..._

Taking the helmet, I followed after them. Locking us out, I looked to Carl and kept moving. Daryl unlocked the door and we walked in. It was dark. Flashlights shone down at bodies. Ripped. Dead. Decomposing. There was a spray of the can against the wall to mark the way, when there was a sudden scream. A female scream. "Sorry," Maggie apologized for her startled moment when she bumped into Glenn thinking it was possibly a walker.

Walking down corridors, Glenn marked the way back and we kept moving. Rounding a corridor we saw a group of walkers head towards us, snarling and growling as they followed us. "Go back. Go back! Move! This way. Come on, this way! In here!" I shouted as we ran away from walkers that seemed to be coming from every corner. "Where's Glenn and Maggie?" I asked once we were safe and hidden, keeping my voice quiet enough for the others to hear.

"We have to go back," Hershel told us as he looked to us and was clearly worried about his daughter. _Which way do we go? I don't recall seeing any of the sprays coming this way. Just the sound of my pounding heart and the growling of shuffling walkers._

"But which way?" Daryl asked as we shone our flashlights to the ground, so that we could see each other and not alert the walkers that we were in here. All of us crouched and thinking of ways to get out and waiting for the walkers to roam past us.

"Maggie? Glenn?" Hershel called as we sneaked around the corners and checked for walkers. Looking for Glenn and Maggie, softly calling them as to not attract walkers again and cause them to notice either groups. Keeping closely together and listening out for any echo.

"Rick?" I heard Glenn's voice call to me ever so faintly. Trying to follow the voice, I could hear more voices calling out and then the sound of a body thumbing to the ground. The sound of skin ripping and then the screams of an elder man. Looking around I couldn't see Hershel following us anymore.

"No!" I screamed as I ran to him, the others following and seeing a walker eating at Hershel's leg. Shooting it, I ran towards Hershel and kneeled beside him. Maggie soon appeared with Glenn closely beside her. Hershel was in shock and pain. Maggie was crying and worried for her father. Lifting Hershel up, we kept moving as walkers came running to the sound of my gun.

"Back. We're blocked! We have to go back! Go! Go!" T-Dog shouted as we ran back and towards another corridor. There was a double door with cuffs locking them. Ordering T-Dog to open it, he broke it off and opened the doors for us. "Get in!" he shouted and we dragged Hershel inside.

"Shut the door!" I ordered Daryl as I slowly lowered Hershel to lay on the ground. "Hold him down," I instructed the others as I examined the bite by pulling up the legs of his pants. The bite was too deep and his vein was ripped out. Slipping off my belt, I tied it around his leg and tried to stop the bleeding. "All right. Only one way to keep you alive," I say as I began to chop off his leg just below his knee.

"Oh...he's bleeding out," I said, throwing the leg to one side and watching as the blood poured out of Hershel's leg. His eyes shut, face pale and his body limp in Maggie's arms. Daryl looked to me but his eyes quickly glanced above my head. Watching whatever was behind me.

"Duck," Daryl whispered as he looked towards both me and the others. Hershel fell silent and his breathing was heavy. He no longer wriggled or cried or groaned since I chopped his leg clean off. Blood covering us and the floor.

Daryl lifted his crossbow and looked behind us. His stance was tense and angered. Defending us and protecting us while threatening the others with the way he showed himself to those who were behind us. "Holy shit," a voice whispered as someone possibly looked at us...

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><p><strong>What do you think so far? What would you like to see happen this season? Can I have 5 reviews seeing as I have been super nice and put up a lot of chapters during this festive holdiay? Just 5 reviews people. Please. <strong>

**Anyway...next chapter will be focused on Rick's group and the new threat which is of course...the prisoners. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are having a lovely holiday if you are! 5 reviews and I'll post the next chapter as quickly as I can. **

**Now...reply to review**

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><p><strong>Caity6991: You are constantly reviewing! Thank you very much dear! Yes...Kat separating from her family is going to really harden her. With Andrea's illness she's going to be very swayed with her mission to find her family and her loyalty to her friends. You'll see soon! Much love dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>Until next time...<strong>

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


	22. Chapter 22: Bloodlust

Chapter 22: Bloodlust

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><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

* * *

><p><em>~14 years ago~<em>

_Me and Kat went out for a swim. She had been taking lessons with her class and we were allowed to see them take the huge step of swimming without their floaties. When I got there, I sat there and talked to the other mothers. Kat was in her swim suit, waving to me and smiling._

_Next thing I knew, Kat was saying she didn't want to. Pleading, crying and not wanting to go in. The instructor didn't listen and took off her float and pushed her into the pool. Getting to my feet, I felt my heart sank and saw Kat sink a little. Flopping around, she tried to grab something but instead he head kept going under water._

_Panick struck me and I quickly jumped into the water. Grabbing Kat and pulling her to the surface. She wasn't breathing. She was out. I panicked. Called for her. I saw the instructor go to help me but I pushed her away. "Don't touch my daughter ever again," I growled at her._

_Breathing into Kat's mouth, I held her nose closed, pumped her chest and kept doing it. Sooner or later Kat began to cough up the water, coming back to life and I clutched her to me. Crying and holding her, relieved that she was alive. Mumbling her name in repeat. I didn't take her to that place ever again..._

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><p><strong>Present day...RPOV<strong>

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl growled as he got closer to the people behind us, looking back, I noticed they were prisoners. 5 of them. One of them was wearing a wife beater, his suit no longer fully on like the other men wore theirs.

"Who the hell are you?" one of them asked Daryl back, trying to sound threatening. Daryl kept his crossbow aimed at them and especially at the one who was threatening them. I looked back down at Hershel and tried to stop the bleeding. It wasn't stopping. Not for anything we did.

"He's bleeding out. We gotta go back. Come around here. Put pressure on the knee. Hard, hard! Push, push," I ordered and Glenn walked away from us. Heading towards the prisoners and wandered into where the five had locked themselves in.

"Why don't you come on out of there? Slow and steady," Daryl growled as he instructed them. They slowly came out and looked to us. Maggie's hands slid on top of mine to do as I had said. Her face tear stained and her body shaking slightly from fear.

"What happened to him?" one of the prisoners asked as they looked towards us, their gaze stopping on Hershel and his now chopped off leg. My hands fumbled as I tried to find anything to stop the bleeding.

"He got bit," Daryl answered them truthfully which made my heart pound at the thought of Hershel. _What if I didn't save him in time? What if...what if he dies and turns from blood loss? What's going to happen? Fuck! We need supplies!_

"Bit?" the same prisoner asked, his hair long and he was the same one wearing a wife beater. He seemed to be the one leading this small group of prisoners and raised a gun towards Hershel. _Where did a prisoner get a gun in a cell block?_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy now. Nobody needs to get hurt," Daryl growled as I saw T-Dog from the corner of my eye raise a gun at them too. The threat that circled around us was just putting more pressure on all our shoulders.

"I need you to hold this. As hard as you can," I told Maggie as she came closer and pressed down where I told her. _Shit. We have walkers banging at the door, Hershel passed out on the ground and a group of prisoners alive and possibly a danger to us all._

"Yes," Maggie mumbled fear in her eyes as well as sadness. _She's worried about her dad. She has every right to be. Much like how I imagined my daughter would have been when I got shot. Yet...she was always the strongest of our family...God I missed her._

"You have medical supplies?" Glenn asked as he search the hiding place they were once inside of. Daryl glaring at the men and T-Dog keeping his eyes on the prisoners and his aim on them. My jaw tensing at the constant threat. _I just wish we could have a break. One simple break._

"Wow. Where do you think you're going?" one of the prisoners questioned as he looked to Glenn, Glenn ignored this and searched for anything that could help us with what was going on with Hershel. _The bleeding needs to stop. We need to get something so it doesn't get infected. Shit!_

"Who the hell are you people, anyway?" a prisoner asked. Their voice curious and I just kept my head down on Hershel. Worried for his life and if I had gotten to the bite in time. _It all happened so fast...fuck. If only he stayed by our side._

"Don't look like no rescue team," one of the prisoners said as the other kept his gun raised. _There are no rescue teams. Are they fucking stupid? Anyway, even if there were any rescue teams...they wouldn't be bothered about prisoners. They'd rescue civilians first. Not douchebag prisoners._

"If a rescue team is what you're waiting for, don't," I growled to them. Fed up with hearing their voices and the way they kept asking us shit. "Come on, we gotta go! Now! Come on! I need a hand here. One, two, three, go!" I said as we lifted Hershel onto a rolling table Glenn had found.

"T, the door!" I shouted and T-Dog did as I said. Killing a few walkers so that we could escape quickly. "Daryl. Daryl! Let's go. This way," I ordered as Daryl crept away from them and we ran down halls. Searching for the way back to the others.

During the way towards the others, the prisoners followed. Daryl killed off walkers quickly and quietly. "He's losing too much blood," Maggie declared as her and Glenn helped me push Hershel around corridors and towards the others.

"Open the door! It's Hershel! Carl! Come on," I shouted to Carl who opened the door for us and we rushed Hershel through and towards a cell we could put him in. Hershel still hadn't woken from the loss of blood and it was beginning to worry me.

"Daddy!" Beth cried as she saw her father laid out on the metal table, tears in her eyes and following after us as we rolled him in. _Fuck. I hope this works. It has to work. We can't lose Hershel. We need him. Not just for the baby but...because he's a good friend._

"Go, go, go, go, go. In there. Turn it. Turn it. Turn around. This way. Get him on the bed. He got bit," I ordered around as we rolled Hershel into a jail cell and moved him so that we could lay Hershel on the bed and lift him perfectly to be on the bed.

"Did you cut it off?" Beth asked me as I looked down at the still unconscious Hershel. _He's not opening his eyes. He's not said or done anything other than bleed out and fuck...what are we going to do now?!_

"Yeah," I answered as we all gathered around Hershel, examined him quickly and all of us looked for a part of Hershel to grab and to lift him off the bed. _I just hope chopping his leg off was the right choice. I hope he survives this. _

"Maybe you got it in time," Lori said trying to reassure me that it was all going to be all right. _I just hope she's right. I hope I got to him in time. Fuck...this has to work. It needs to._

"Ready? Okay. One, two, three. One, two, three," I ordered as we all grabbed onto Hershel and hauled his body onto the bed, laying him down gently and stepping away from him so that Carol could have some space to do her work.

"Oh, God. Oh! Oh, I need bandages," Carol moaned out as she pulled off the towels we had found in the storage of the prisoners. Showing us what was left of his now bloody leg. My heart sinking at the thought of losing Hershel too.

"We used everything we had," Glenn called out, all of us panicked and worried as to what was to happen. _Please...God...let Hershel survive this. He needs to. He has to. For the baby and for the rest of us._

"Well, get more! Anything," Carol demanded as she tried to find things for Hershel. To stop the bleeding and finding no luck. Lori sat beside Carol and looked at Carl.

"Carl, go get the towels from the back, right next to my bed," Lori demanded of Carl and he ran off to find the towels she had spoke of. _I just hope we can save Hershel in enough time. God...he has to live._

"Is he gonna die?" Beth cried out. Maggie was frozen in place, Glenn was worried and Carol was trying everything in her power to save Hershel and to keep him from bleeding out. Some of the others tried to get out and some of us just couldn't move. In fear that Hershel was closer to death than life.

"No, no, no, no. He's gonna be okay. He's gonna be okay," Lori said as she held Beth in her arms. Caringly holding her as Beth cried out for her father. _Lori would be like this with our daughter. Except...our daughter rarely cried. When she would cry, it was always be when she was alone because she never liked being seen as weak._

"You think you can stabilize him?" I asked Carol, worried for the state Hershel was in. Ever since I chopped off Hershel's leg, he hadn't moved or spoken. His breathing was getting heavy and his pulse was weakening.

"I need to keep his leg elevated. Get some pillows!" Carol demanded, this was when I squeezed past the others and went to the next cell, grabbing some pillows and bringing them to Carol.

"He's already bled through the sheets," Maggie cried, her hands clutching the bed and watching Carol try and help Hershel to be better. To stop the blood from spilling out and to make sure he didn't lose too much blood.

"We can burn the wound to clot the blood. I can start a fire," Glenn suggested as I looked around for more pillows and Carl came back with the towels his mom had asked for.

"No, the shock could kill him. It's not gonna stop the arteries from bleeding. We need to just keep it dressed and let it heal on its own. Oh, God," Carol explained, trying to make sure Glenn didn't do what he wanted to do.

* * *

><p><strong>DPOV<strong>

Preparing for the prisoners to come in, I placed my foot on one of the table stools and aimed my crossbow at the door. Dropping the keys to one side, I waited patiently for the prisoners to come towards us. The others were dealing with Hershel and his leg. "That's far enough," I growled when they all started to come in.

"Cell block C. Cell 4...that's mine, gringo. Let me in," the one in the wife beater growled at me. His black hair was long, his dark hair was greasy and reaching his shoulders. His dark eyes were filled with something that made my stomach churn. _Something's not right about him._

"Today's your lucky days, fellas. You've been pardoned by the State of Georgia. You're free to go," I growled at them, keeping my stance threatening and my eyes glaring at them. Hoping that they would feel the fright from my presentation. _No shower, blood, sweat and dirt covering my body. My glare intimidating and my bow should do the trick too._

"What you got going on in there?" the same one who held the pistol and wore the woman beater asked. His eyes glancing behind me where the others escaped in order to help Hershel. _These guys could be murderers, thieves and...rapists. I don't like them. _

"It ain't none of your concern," I growled thinking of the time so long ago on the farm. My arms tensing as did my entire body. I had gain more muscles, a tan and more trust towards the people I was with. Thinking of the girl who the Grimes family had lost...how she had almost been raped.

"Don't be telling me what's my concern," the guy with the gun and wife beater growled back at me. _I get the feeling this guy is a killer. A murderer. Something in his eyes seems a little off to me. Like he could kill people he cared about in cold blood and not bat an eyelash after he killed them._

"Chill, man. Dude's leg is messed up. Besides, we're free now. Why are we still in here?" one of the other prisoners said. He was bigger, taller and fatter. He talked like he was a nice guy but...who knew what this guy was in for. _Probably a thief._

"The man's got a point," I agreed. _They should just leave. Get eaten on the road instead of being locked away in a closet. They should try their luck on the road. Seems like they've eaten well enough through this time...seems like they haven't grown hungry like we have._

"Yeah, and I gotta check on my old lady," another prisoner said. He was more of a built structure. Muscular. He was slightly intimidating but he didn't seem all as he appeared. _I don't trust these guys...at all._

"A group of civilians breaking in to a prison you got no business being in...got me thinking there ain't no place for us to go," the one with the gun and wife beater said. _Smart. For a fucking jail bird. Time to let you fly out of your nest._

"Why don't you go find out?" I growled, getting angry with these men. My crossbow never lowering and my eyes glued to everyone of them. _No way am I letting them come anywhere near close to the people past that gate. No way near the group. _

"Maybe we'll just be going now," the one with the weird southern accent said, his arms crossed and he looked like he didn't want to be here. _Why does he seem like such a pussy? We're in this fucking shit hole of a new world. Acting so afraid is going to get you killed...but...still...the bravest of people can fall._

"Hey, we ain't leaving," the guy in a wife beater shouted to the one who was too afraid. _Seems to me this guy is acting like a dog right now. All bark...no bite. Fucking prick. He better not do anything stupid or he'll get an arrow between the eyes._

"You aren't coming in either," T-Dog backed me up as he rounded a courner, pulling up his gun and staring at the guy in the wife beater. The guy quickly pulled up his gun and aimed at the both of us, looking at me and T-Dog, his eyes dark and his finger curling slightly on the trigger.

"Hey, this is my house, my rules. I go where I damn well please," the guy shouted as he looked at us. This got me really riled up. Me and wife beater shouting at each other about what was going to happen and that this place was no longer his. That if he took one more step...he would get it.

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"What was that?" Beth asked startled, hearing the group arguing with each other in the other room. Daryl and one of the prisoners arguing to each other back and fourth. Something had to happen and I needed to step up as their leader and take control of this situation.

"Prisoners, survivors," I told them which made them all look to me panicked. "It's all right. Everybody stay put," I tell them, reassuring to them that we were keeping it under control. "Do not leave his side. If he dies, you need to be there for that. You think you can do this? Maggie will be there," I asked Glenn as I stopped him to look at him.

"I got it," Glenn agreed as though he could tell this was something that had to be done. Worried about the worst possible outcome but needing to get ready for whatever could happen. _Not everything can turn out the way we want it to..._

"I can bring T in-" I suggest, not wanting him to feel too pressured and knowing that this was a hard time for him. _Maggie must be feeling slightly distroyed. Seeing her father bitten like that and then having his leg chopped off so...bloody and quickly._

"I got it," Glenn agreed and gave me a firm nod. Indicating that he knew exactly what he had to do. _I just hope Hershel survives and doesn't turn. That would be devestating for all of us. He needs to live. For the baby and his daughters._

"Good," I said and walked out, Carl closed the door behind me and I could hear the arguing as clear as day. _Arguing? Why? We could just throw them out or give them their options if they wish to co-operate._

"There ain't nothing for you here. Why don't you go back to your own sandbox?" Daryl growled to the prisoners, clearly pissed off and making me pull out my machete. Running to them and calling for their attention. All of them looked to me and the tension in the room was thick. Like a fog.

"How many of you are in there?" the guy with the gun and wife beater asked us as he had his gun aimed up at me. His eyes glaring at me as I gripped tighter onto my machete. The thought of my daughter came rushing into my mind.

"Too many for you to handle," I informed him. Knowing that my daughter would be proud that I would try and be threatening but secretive towards those we cared about. _Need to keep them all safe. Especially those who wouldn't know how to handle this situation like I'm doing currently._

"You guys rob a bank or something? Why don't you take him to a hospital?" the guy asked us who acted more like their leader than another prisoner looking for answers. _Like he would know anything about leading. Or about this mess outside of these prison fences..._

"How long have you been locked in that cafeteria?" I asked them a little stunned by the question. _Do they really not know what's going on out there? What the world has come to? Are they really that clueless?_

"Going on like 10 months," the guy with the gun answered, looking at me as though it was no big deal. _10 months...and they've had food? They must of had their own secret stash in that cafeteria. Enough to last 10 months? Must have more somewhere._

"A riot broke out. Never seen anything like it," the taller, more rounded man of the group said. Looking at us as though there was something off. _He must be talking about he walkers. I can sense it. Would make sense to think of it as some sort of riot. One that went out of control._

"Attica on speed, man," one of the more silent ones said. His arms crossed over his chest and his eyes glued to the floor or glancing up shyly at us. He seemed scared and confused. The way he spoke was nervous. The way he spoke of drugs made him look like he wanted some..._drug user._

"Ever heard about dudes going cannibal, dying, coming back to life? Crazy," the smallest man said out of the group. He looked like the type that would annoy you till you had your last breath. _They don't know what's going on with the world. They believe this plague only happened here at their prison..._

"One guard looked out for us, locked us up in the cafeteria. Told us sit tight, threw me this piece, said he'd be right back," the guy in the wife beater and holding the gun said as he waved it around a little. Trying to make his point.

"Yeah, and that was 292 days ago," one of the other prisoners said, a more built and muscular prisoner who seemed like a nice person if we were back in the normal world and if he wasn't a criminal. _That long huh?_

"94 according to my calcula-" the southern accented man said. His arms and posture showed me he was scared. Frightened out of his wits and by that I could sense the others growing angry with the man's attitude. _For a prisoner you'd think they'd be tougher of nature and attitude._

"Shut up!" the one with the wife beater and gun raised at T-Dog said as he growled at the southern one. The southern prisoner looked away scared and slightly frightened from the way the guy scolded him like that. _That was uncalled for._

"We were thinking that the army or the national guard should be showing up any day now," the taller, more reasonable looking one said as he looked to me. _He seems...hopefull...a lot like my daughter but...he isn't my daughter. No one is her. She's...gone. Dead._

"There is no army," I growled, trying to make them see the facts. They were misinformed and they acted as though they didn't want to hear me. _Why are they so clueless? Are they deaf or something? Logic really doesn't show up in prisoners._

"What do you mean?" the one with the gun asked me as he looked to me. His eyes darker than they were meant to be. They were brown, his black greasy hair splayed out around his head and he looked to me confused. His eyes focused on me and only me.

"There's no government, no hospitals, no police. It's all gone," I tell them. Sad that the world had come to this but it is what it is. _Life needs to keep going. Certainly mine for Carl, Lori, the group and the baby._

"For real?" the southern one asked, his mustache twitching a little as he looked at me. A look of confusion and surprise. Reminding me of the time I had lost my family and woke to this new world. _It was just...stunning. To wake up to a new world and not be beside my family. To discover this was what became of our lives._

"I'm serious," I answered, keeping my voice leveled so that I wasn't sounding weak or too confident. _A leader should always seem level headed and calm in spirit but when intimidated or feeling threatened, he should be strong and sometimes seen to be defended._

"What about my moms?" one prisoner said. "My kids?" the other prisoner spoke. "And my old lady?" another asked. All these people were worried about who they cared most for in the old world. Unsure of where they are and if they had even survived.

"Yo, you got a cell phone or something that we can call our families?" the tallest, more reasonable looking man said as he stepped closer to Daryl which made him wary. His crossbow up and his finger itching to shoot if he needed to. My eyes glued on the two and the whole group.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Daryl asked stunned that they didn't understand what we were trying to explain to them. _Are they so clueless and unsure of what the world has come to? The world isn't what it used to be anymore._

"No phones, no computers. As far as we can see, at least half the population has been wiped out. Probably more," I explained to them and they looked at me stunned. _Yep. You better believe what I just said. That's the whole hearted truth._

"Ain't no way," the one that was holding the gun, aimed at T-Dog slowly lowered it and looked to me. Everyone was silent as they took in the information. The guy looked at me like I was insane, that I was saying this just to scare them and that it wasn't true.

"See for yourself," I tell them and this was when all of them looked to me questioningly, we walked along the steps to go outside and the prisoners walked ahead of us. Walking past all the bodies and watching the fences, some seemed oblivious of the bodies and some did take note of them.

"Damn, the sun feels good," the taller, more reasonable looking guy said as he stretched and enjoyed the feeling of the sun. _Is he kidding me?! This isn't meant to be joyful. This isn't at all a happy moment. There is death and distruction out there and possibly in here now too..._

"Good lord. They're all dead," the southern one said, his eyes glued to the bodies as he crossed his arms over his chest tightly, he seemed frightened and looked ill from this state of inmates.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to see these fences," the one in the wife beater said as he looked out into the distance, seeing the fences and the walkers that roamed outside them. _They act like they don't care about the walkers that surround us at every moment._

"You never said-...how the hell did you get in here in the first place?" the smaller one of the five men said as he looked at me. His eyes questioning and his stance was trying to be intimidating but it wasn't working.

"Cut a hole in that fence over there by that guard tower," Daryl answered for me. His bow was down, all of us stepping out onto the cort and the bodies still weren't cleaned up. _We need to clean up. Before they create a smell. _

"That easy, huh?" the smaller one asked as he looked to Daryl. Daryl had kept a straight face and wasn't nerved by any of them. _He's strong, quick and loyal. I trust him. With my life and with the life of my family. If only he were there to save my daughter. I knew he would of..._

"Where there's a will there's a way," Daryl tried to sound hopeful. _Seems to me he took that from my daughter. She was always a hopeful one she was. Always thinking of the good things to come. Never reflecting on the bad unless she felt guilty for it. Like with Sophia...that ate away at her but she sprung back up. _

"Easy for you to say," the smaller one said as I saw one of the men poke at one of the walkers that laid on the ground. _So they finally notice them. Congrats. Seems to me we have lots of bodies and they only just notice that they were walkers and on the ground. Dead._

"So what is this, like a disease?" the taller, bigger one asked, his eyes glancing around at the bodies and then looked up at us. _He seemes...worried and confused of this whole new concept and the people that they once used to be._

"Yeah, and we're all infected," I answered, feeling my heart being squised at the knowledge, remembering Shane and my daughter. _Both of them walkers...both of them gone and I will never see them again...only in my nightmares._

"What do you mean infected? Like AIDS or something?" the southern one asked, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes squinting from the light of the sun. _Something's wrong about this man. I don't like the feeling I get from him._

"If I was to kill you, shoot an arrow in your chest, you'd come back as one of these things. It's gonna happen to all of us," Daryl tried to explain, his crossbow was no longer raised and aimed at any of the men. Pointing to the walkers on the ground and then each of us.

"Ain't no way this Robinhood casts responsible for killing all these freaks," the one in the wife beater said as he looked at us, pointing at us all and acting as though we were just a bunch of...dare I say it..._pussies._

"Must be 50 bodies out here," the smaller one stated as I looked down. _They're questioning us. Testing our strengths and weaknesses. Our skills. They're testing us and I can feel it. They want to know if we're easy to take down._

"Where'd you come from?" the one with the gun and white wife beater asked me, his eyes studying me and looking me up and down like Daryl used to when he didn't trust us as much as he does now. _What the fuck's his problem?_

"Atlanta," I answered, my voice strong and slighly questioning. _What is he wanting to know from me? Why do I get the feeling this question is leading to something? It seems to me this question is leading to more questions than answers._

"Where are you headed?" he asked me after my response. _I knew it. He wants to kick us out of here and leave us to ourselves. Not a way in hell am I going to let this prick threaten me in this way._

"For now, nowhere," I growled, keeping my voice calm and stern. Trying to show him I meant business. _No way is he going to force us out of here! Not after all we've been through, not after all the people we lost and those days that we were never safe._

"I guess you can take that area down there near the water. Should be comfortable," the prisoner tried to tell me, as though he was the one in charge and could say what was going to happen. _He is wrong. Very wrong._

"We're using that field for crops," I explained, my tone slightly threatening. _We aren't moving to wherever he thinks because he says so. This world is for those who are stronger and smarter. Not for prisoners because they think they can suddenly take charge._

"We'll help you move your gear out," he tried to continue, pointing to where he was suggesting we were to go. _I am not letting them take back their prison because they think they can. We earned this. They were simply lucky._

"That won't be necessary. We took out these walkers. This prison is ours," I growled at him, trying to prove my point and not be stepped all over by him. _This is ours. We worked hard to take over this shelter. We have more of a say than they ever could._

"Slow down, cowboy," the one in the wife beater told me, haulting me and making me look at him angered. _He's trying to insult me...it's not working and he's not scaring me. I won't think two times about killing him. I'll do it._

"You snatched the locks off our doors," the smaller one said as he looked to me slightly angered. As though this was meant to make me sorry for them. As though that was going to keep them safe forever.

"We'll give you new locks, if that's how you want it," I say as I waved my machete around, trying to show them not to get too close and feeling like my daughter was still with me in some weird way as I moved my weapon around this way.

"This is our prison. We were here first," the one with the gun said as he looked at me angrily. _I don't give a fuck. This place is ours and I say so. Just because he's got a gun and is a prisoner he thinks we'll listen to him? Not in a million years._

"Locked in a broom closet? We took it, set you free. It's ours. We spilled blood," I growled at him as I pointed to the ground, signaling for him to look at the dead bodies. _We have the guts to kill these all. They were locked inside, clueless and scared. Hidden away like children._

"We're moving back into our cell block," the prisoner in the wife beater growled at me. As though he was threatening me and trying to intimidate us. _You don't scare me boy. Fucker. We've been through to much to be kicked out by inmates._

"You'll have to get your own," I growled, standing my ground and baring my teeth a little. _No fucking way am I letting a bunch of prisoners come close to my family, kick us out of the prison and tell me that I was to move away. To fuck off and let them take what we gained. What we earned! _

"It is mine. I've still got personal artifacts in there. That's about as mine as it gets," the one with the gun said as he pulled out his gun, trying to be threatened. I wasn't afraid of them, knowing my own skills with my python and the fact that both T-Dog and Daryl had their weapons drawn on him in seconds, both stood beside me and watching the one in front of me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Maybe let's try to make this work out so everybody wins," the southern one said as he tried to separate us and tried to reason with his inmate. _Seems this guy is smater than he seems. Let's hope they don't double cross us the chance they get._

"I don't see that happening," the one in the wife beater growled at me, staring directly into my eyes and all of us were close together. Huddled in this tense air bubble that surrounded us together. _He wants to scare me. To make me scurry away. It's not working._

"Neither do I," I growled agreeing with him on this. _We aren't leaving. We aren't moving. And they certainly ain't taking what we killed for. Not for them. Not for anyone. This place is ours. They're free for all I care._

"I ain't going back in that cafeteria for one more minute," the one in the wife beater tried to point out. _There are other ways around this. Like chosing another cell block, locking you in there and not allowing you to move. At all._

"There are other cell blocks," the southern one tried to reason, his eyes worried and his tone was slightly pleading. _He doesn't want a fight. He doesn't want to argue over whose's what._

"You could leave. Try your luck out on the road," Daryl suggested, his aim was still locked on the guy, reassuring me that Daryl had my back and knew what to do if the guy tried anything on me or us.

"If these three pussies can do all this, the least we can do is take out another cell block," the one in the wife beater agreed, coming to terms with it all. _He better not try anything...I have killed men before and I can do it again. Especially if it means protecting myself and my family._

"With what?" the bigger guy asked, his tone curious and his face slightly blank. _He seems completely oblivious to the whole thing. Like it's just another silly task and it has no importance. At least the only one disagreeing is this asshole in front of me._

"Atlanta here will spot us some real weapons. Won't you, boss?" the one with the gun suggested. Looking to me as though he could boss me around. _No one tells me what to do...but...given choices...I believe we could possibly settle a deal._

"How stocked is that cafeteria? It must have plenty of food. Five guys lasting almost a year?" I asked, curious as to how much food they could possibly spare for all of us. _We all need food. It's something that needs to be found. They don't look hungry._

"It sure as hell don't look like anybody's been starving," Daryl said as he summeries the way they all looked. _They haven't been sweating and starving like we have. 10 months? There must be food supply._

"There's only a little left," the main guy said as he looked between the three of us. _I get the feeling he's lying about that. I can see it in his eyes. The way his lips trembled a little and showed me that he was in fact...lying._

"We'll take half. In exchange, we'll help clear out a cell block," I suggest. Trying to make a deal that would work well for us all. _Win, win. Either of us win and non of us lose. If anyone loses...it won't be me and my group._

"Didn't you hear him? There's only a little left," the smaller one said trying to be threatening as he stepped up. _I really don't like this boy's tone. He's lucky I don't bash his teeth in. Trying to threaten me like that. Trying to be smart mouthed._

"Bet you got more food than you got choices," I tell him as I sniffed and took a few steps closer, my eyes on the ground and his looking to me slightly frightened. "You pay, we'll play. We'll clear out a block for you, then you keep to it," I suggest, trying to be seen as firm and standing my ground.

"All right," the main one agreed, which made me look at him directly in the eye. _This better not end well and if it does...I'll make sure we don't go down without a fight. These fuckers aren't getting out of my sight. Not for a minute._

"Well, let's be clear. If we see you out here anywhere near our people, if I so much as even catch a whiff of your scent, I will kill you," I snarled, getting close to the main leader and looking to each of them. My eyes hard as stone and jaw clenched.

"Deal," the main one said as he looked to me. His eyes watching me carefully as though he was curious as to what he could possibly plot against me. _Whatever he's thinking won't work. Hadn't worked with Shane...won't work with him._

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"It has to stop eventually, right?" Carol asked as we tried to wrap up Hershel's leg and keep it tended to. Blood covered our hands and were drying up around them. It felt weird to move my fingers and to not be able to move the hairs from my face properly.

"It slowed down quite a bit already," I tell her, getting up to grab something from the box of medical supplies we had. Sitting back down and being careful with the baby in my stomach. _It will be soon now when this little person will be out of me...or a little walker..._

"If we can get him through this-" Carol went to say which made me look at her surprised. _Why the sudden doubt? The sudden loss of hope? This woman thinks we're going to lose Hershel so easily? Crazy talk._

"When we get him through this," I corrected her. _My daughter would want me to hold onto the hope that he survives. That we all survive and can get through this. That there will be a brighter a future. That brighter future will come with this baby and with Hershel surviving this._

"We'll need crutches," Carol went on to say, finishing it now that I corrected it. _That's true. Poor Hershel won't be able to walk on his two feet anymore. He'll need the support from crutches...unless he'd prefer to be in a wheelchair and sadly...there are non of those here as far as I can tell._

"Right now we could use some antibiotics and painkillers, some sterile gauze," I said, trying to remind her to live in the present. Not the past or the future. Even if from time to time they come into our minds, we need to rember that we had to live for the moment and keep surviving as best as we can.

"There's got to be an infirmary here," Carol said hopeful. _That's the spirit. We need to keep positive. Even in our darkest times and toughest struggles. Working together and being hopeful will get us through this._

"If there is, we'll find it," I agreed, keeping hopeful too. _My daughter would be proud of us. She would probably be going out there by herself to get the stuff I need...but then again...she always did prefer to be by her father's side. Protecting him with threats like these prisoners._

"You've gotta be worried sick about delivering the baby," Carol spoke as though she knew what was going on in my mind. _I may be worried but not exactly about my baby...Hershel could be dying and my husband is somewhere risking his life around prisoners._

"Look at me. Do I look worried?" I ask her and kept a small smile on my face. Her face lit up with a giggle. The others stood around watching us, Carl disappeared somewhere and I just looked to Carol who had a twinkle in her sea blue eyes.

"You look disgusting," she teased at me. The pair of us covered in blood, sweat and dirt from not having a shower in weeks. _Easy for her to say. Sadly...we're all on the same boat when it comes to our appearances._

"So do you," I tell her giggling. The both of us being childish and forgetting the situation we were in, even if it was for a second. "We'll get through this," I said as I caressed Hershel's face, hopeful that he would survive and that we'd all be fine. _He has to live. We have to all be fine._

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"Pantry's back here," Tomas said as he led us towards where they had been hiding. Looking at Hershel's leg, I felt the guilt and sadness...the worry all of it ran into my head and through my body again. _He has to survive. He has to._

"You never tried to break out of here?" T-Dog asked. Looking around and checking for any exits. There were non but there were possible ones if the time asked for it. _Who knows where they lead to...could be anywhere._

"Yeah, we tried to take the doors off...but if you make one peep in here, then those freaks'll be lined up outside the door growling, trying to get in. Windows got bars on there that he-man couldn't get through," the one we had found out was called Oscar explaind to us.

"Bigger than a 5x8," the southern one said. He always spoke so timidly and looked so scared. _What is wrong with him? Why is he always so afraid. So cut off from all the others. It seems to me this one is the odd one out._

"You won't find me complaining. Doing 15. My left leg can barely fit on one of those bunks," the one we found out to be big tiny said as they looked to him and he explained about his size. _Well...this...isn't weird. Is it?_

"Yeah, they don't call him Big Tiny for nothing," Oscar said teasingly, unsure to laugh or to keep silent. I decided to keep stern and silent. Not wanting to seem friendly or to seem too cold.

"You done jerking each other off? Sick of waiting back here," Tomas asked us as he peeked over to look at us. He leaned against the door frame and looked at us like we were a bunch of assholes. _I wouldn't mind slicing his tongue off._

"This what you call a little bit of food?" Daryl asked as he checked the food and squinted a little at it. There were piles. No. Stacks of food. Enough to feed an army and more. _How did they keep it so...full?_

"Goes fast," which caused Daryl to answer him with a small 'mm-hmm.' Daryl seemed unamused and slightly angered by the news of so much food. _It will be enough to last us at least a few months. If we use it right and keep the food in check. I hope they don't expire any time soon._

"You can have a bag of corn, some tuna fish-" Tomas went to say, trying to take the lead again. To be a leader. _This guy isn't convincing and he ain't getting away with giving us less than half. They showed it us...I could have simply killed them all without a blink of my eyes...but I didn't._

"We said half. That's the deal. What's in there?" I asked and stated. Standing my ground and searching inside a closed door. Incase it had anymore goods that they were keeping from us. Daryl kept looking at the food and the others just watched me.

"Don't open that," one of them said but it was too late. Opening it, there was a pile of shit and a huge puddle of piss on the ground. _This is their own toilet. _Coughing, I tried to keep the vile from rising from the horrid smell. My stomach flipping and my nose couldn't rid the smell no matter how many breaths I took. "He wanted to know," Tomas said as I coughed up and some of the others laughed.

"Can't wait for my own pot to piss in," the southern one we found out was Axel said as he looked to the ground. His arms crossed and he looked sad. _He seems so off to be a prisoner. He must have been a drug addict and was using a lot of it judging by how he was..._

"Food's here," T-Dog announced as we left Daryl to keep the others from coming in here, locking the keys behind us as we wandered towards the cells. Back to the others. Seeing Carl open up the door for us, food in our arms and heavy to carry.

"What you got?" Carl asked as his eyes were wide with wonder and delight from seeing the food. _He seems as happy as we are to find the food. This is only half...imagine what he would be like if we had all? _

"Canned beef, canned corn, canned cans. There's a lot more where this came from," T-Dog answered him as he led the way and dropped the food down by the stair case, heading back to retrieve more food with Daryl and bring it back.

"Any change?" I asked as I stopped by Glenn and Hershel still out. _He has to be all right. He has to. There is no way we can let him die. He must be living. He's just...tired. From shock and blood loss. That's all._

"Bleeding is under control and no fever, but his breath is labored and his pulse is way down and he hasn't opened his eyes yet," Lori spoke, looking to me and clutching the bars. _He's not doing too great then..._

"Take my cuffs, put them on him. I'm not taking any chances," I tell Glenn, showing him my back pockets and feeling the weight lift from it and knowing that he had taken the cuffs, I kept hold of the food and waited a second longer.

"Yeah," he agreed as he took them and I turned my back again, heading towards a corner and placing them by the bottom of the steps. When I turned to look, I saw that it was only me and Lori outside of the cells and by the food.

"So what about those prisoners?" Lori asked as we stepped aside, by the stairs and looked to each other. _I'm going to...try and keep myself level and calm. I don't want to argue with her. We've all been through a lot so far. We're all under pressure._

"We're gonna help them clear out their own cell block, and then they'll be there and we'll be here," I tell her, not wanting to argue but not wanting to give her too much information. As to not worry her, especially with the baby soon to come.

"Living beside each other," she stated more than questioned me. _She always was smart. Guess that's where our daughter got it from. Sadly...she wasn't smart enough to survive the farm. I miss her so much._

"I'm not giving up this prison," I stated, not wanting to let us out there and back in danger. _We're safer here than we ever were out there! We need this place. Not just for the baby...but for all of us. _

"Do they have guns?" she asked me, looking up but then back down, as though she was too afraid to look me in the eyes. _I have been mean to her these past few months but...I don't know how else to respond to her anymore. She left our daugher...she...made me kill my best friend and then rejected my affections towards her..._

"I only saw one. Yeah, I don't know if it's gonna work," I say, rubbing at my nose and she sighed. Her hands slipping into her back pockets. _They're trouble. I can feel it. Sense it and especially that Tomas guy. He's bad news._

"Well, what are your options?" she asked me trying to sound positive and supportive. _Always trying to challenge me, to talk to me and see what is really under my skin. I don't know what to do when she puts me on the spot like this._

"Kill them," I say bluntly. Feeling like Shane and remembering the time we argued over Randall...how my daughter was so destroyed. Everything that happened on the farm...all of it flooding back to me.

"If that's what you think is best," she tells me which reminded me of the time we were in the tent. When we joked about being old people. Talked about how worried we were about our daughter and then...about the baby. About threates. About Shane.

"You s-...you say this now," I tell her laughing to myself a little. _You practically told me to kill him. Saying he was a threat. That I would kill anyone who came between me and my family. He did. He was dangerous. She told me to kill him._

"Look, I know that I'm a shitty wife and I'm not winning any mother of the year awards, but I need you to know that not for one second do I think there is malice in your heart," she said which made me look down. Thinking of our daughter and everything that happened on the farm.

"You're not a killer, and I know that. I know that, so-...so do whatever you gotta do to keep this group safe. And do it with a clear conscience," she continued. Making me look to her and I knew she was right. _I'm not like Shane. I think things through. I don't want to threaten everyone. Not when there could be good out there. Still._..

"Why do I need this when I got this?" Tomas asked, raising his gun and examined the silent weapons we laid out in front of him. _Oh how clueless...he just wants to shoot that thing...doesn't he? To show off and act tough. He's being stupid. Reckless if he shoots._

"You don't fire guns, not unless your back's up against a wall. Noise attracts them. It really riles them up," Daryl explained, looking to each and everyone of them. Making sure they had all listened and this was when I saw it a good time to speak.

"We'll go in two by two. Daryl will run point with T. I'll bring up the rear with you," I say pointing to Andrew. "Stay tight, hold formation no matter how close the walkers get anyone breaks ranks, we could all go down. Anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a walker, end up with an axe to the head," I explained to them, instructing them of what could happen.

"And that's where you aim. These things only go down with a head shot," Daryl explained, making sure they were all well informed for what was to come. _They need to know so that they don't have to get lost or feel scared. So they know where they die instantly._

"Ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man," Tomas growled. _I knew it. He looks like the type to be a murderer. Acts like one, looks at me like one and why else would a cop give him the gun? As he said...'knew how to kill a man'._

"They ain't men. They're something else," T-Dog said to them, his mind seemed distant but his eyes were on the others. _They certainly aren't men...or women. They are people who once had lives and now want to take ours. Flesh, blood and our lives._

"Just remember to go for the brain," I remind them as they all picked their weapons and we headed into the prison. Preparing for what was to come. Each step felt heavy and my machete kept feeling lighter. _She's with me. I feel it._

"Man, it's too damn dark in here," Oscar growled as we got closer to the hall. Keeping in formation and slowly creeping towards our destination. Our eyes glued forward and big tiny tried to hold the flashlight correctly.

"Gotta hold it up high out in front of you. You're gonna hear them before you see them," Daryl told them as he led the group, keeping his walk slow and his eyes forward. He would glance over his shoulder but would always stay alert.

"It's coming!" Axel alerted us and possibly every possible walker roaming around. _What an idiot! Did he not hear Daryl saying that we'll hear it?! That they get riled up by noise! No. Instead he fucking calls the dinner bell for them all!_

"Shh!" I growled, trying to silence him as we got closer and saw the walkers come out from around their corners. Their feet shuffling as they stumbled closer to us and we were alerted before by these sounds but also from Axel hearing these sounds.

What happened next surprised me, T-Dog and Daryl. The prisoners ran to them and worked as teams to...fight them. Except...they were hitting everywhere but the brain. Only the stomach and heart and other places. "You wanna taste me?" Axel asked one as another held a walker back, stabbing at it's stomach while others kicked and whacked another on the ground. _This is fucking chaos..._

* * *

><p><strong>CPOV<strong>

"I thought you were organizing the food," Glenn asked me as he saw me walk down with the bag of medicine and other medical supplies. Going a different route, I found some supplies and killed a few walkers to get to it and back.

"Even better. Check it out," I told them as I placed the bag down on the floor, the zip wasn't completely closed and it showed them the supplies they needed in order to fix Hershel up. In all honesty, I felt proud of myself and I knew my sister would be too.

"Where did you get this?" Carol gasped out as she looked at the bag and pulled out all the things from it. Her eyes sparkling in pure delight from me finding the stuff she needed in order to save Hershel. _I'm glad someone's pleased with my work._

"From the infirmary. Wasn't much left, but I cleared it out," I said, pointing out my efforts in trying to find this. _There wasn't much but it was enough to possibly save Hershel's life. We all want Hershel to pull through from this._

"You went by yourself?" mom asked me her eyes wide as were Maggies when they looked up at me. The medical supplies in their hands but their faces shocked and stunned by this new fact. _Why do they look at me like I've sinned or something?_

"Yeah," I answered quickly. Maggie's eyes still on me and mom looked away pained. _I hope she's thinking about the time she left my sister to die. If she helped her...my sister may still be alive. Instead mom abandoned her._

"Are you crazy?" mom asked me questioningly. Her voice slightly angry and incredulous at the thought that I could have done all this and survived. _I'm not a child anymore. I'm not that silly little boy everyone had to look after from back at the farm. My sister would want me to toughen up and not be afraid of walkers._

"No big deal. I killed two walkers," I stated wanting mom to get off my case. _I can handle myself. I don't need mom or dad. I can take care of myself and I don't need anyone's help. Not even...my sisters._

"You-...all right, do you see this? This was with the whole group," mom pointed out. _Like that made a difference. We all die eventually. Doesn't matter if we like it or not. It's going to happen either way. So mom needs to get over it and let me keep surviving._

"We needed supplies, so I got them," I tried to reason, pleading my case and trying to get some appreciation instead of being told off by mom. _Fed up with her watching me like a hawk. I'm not some child anymore. They can't hide me from walkers. Not anymore._

"I appreciate that, but-" mom went to argue back at me, her voice rising and I realized I had enough already. _She needs to stop treating me like I can't defend myself. Like I can't do anything for myself. I'm not a child!_

"Then get off my back. I'm not Kat!" I screamed back at her, fed up with us always never mentioning her anymore. We never spoke her name or spoke of Kat at all. It almost sounded foreign coming from my lips. It had been so long since we mentioned her in any conversation.

"Carl! She's your mother. You can't talk to her like that, especially not about your sister like that," Beth scolded me as mom gasped and looked away pained. _Maybe that was out of line but...she needs to remember that my sister had a name. Not always to be refering to her as 'my sister' or their 'daughter' because it pains them too much to think of her or say her name!_

"Listen, I think it's great that you wanna help-" mom went to say but I had enough. I rushed out and went to my cell. Sitting in my room, I curled up in a ball and cried silently. Thinking of my sister and what she would do in this situation. What she would be telling me. How she would comfort me the only way she knew how. _I miss her so much..._

* * *

><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

"It's gotta be the brain. Not the stomach, not the heart. The brain," Daryl told them as we all gathered around, watching a walker stumble into our line of view slowly. The group's eyes staring at the walker and Daryl put it down with his crossbow.

"I hear you. The brain," the southern one said as they all were on edge. Their weapons at the ready and my eyes watching each of them. Wondering if they were just saying that so they could end up doing the same as last time.

"Like that?" one of them asked as they wandered over and killed a walker by destroying their brain. _That's better. Seems like these prisoners were slow in figuring it out the first time. Just need to repeat things two times to them._

"Uh-huh. Stay in tight formation. No more prison riot crap," I agreed, growling at them and their stupid mistake from last time. _Stupid fuckers. Doing prison shit here to try and kill a bunch of walkers. Hitting everywhere but at the brain. Idiots._

"Ah!" we heard a scream after we killed as many walkers as we could. Hearing the scream, we all ran towards the sound and found big tiny was scratched. Bleeding above his arm and the blood poured out from his shoulder blade.

"I'm telling you, I don't feel anything. It's just a scratch," big tiny tried to convince us. It wasn't working and the rest of us didn't know how to handle the situation. _We gave Jim a choice. This is different. This guy thinks he'll survive this. No one does._

"I'm sorry, man," I said appologetically. He was more than dead now. Bites and scratches increased the disease. The soon kill you too from the influence which makes you come back to life.

"I can keep fighting!" big tiny tried to convince us, possibly afraid of what could happen and trying to figure out ways on how to do this. _We could shoot him...or we could simply allow him to turn to end up killing him? Either is dangerous seeing as walkers would hear the shot and that we would put ourselves in danger of walkers._

"You cut that old guy's leg off to save his life," Andrew asked a little crazed. Angry almost. _They just don't get it do they? The leg was easy to cut. Not as much blood and not such a death like cutting that would be. It would kill him._

"Look at where the bite is," I said, pointing to the scratch. It was on his back, clear and it simply couldn't be removed without the guy dying. No matter how we would try to save him, he would turn and come to kill us all.

"Guys, I'm fine! Just-...I'm fine. Look at me. I'm not changing into one of those things," big tiny said, trying to defend himself and trying to make himself seem like he was fine. _It's like they don't fucking understand. They die. They turn. They get bit or scratched...they die. Easy. Seems like rocket science to them._

"Look, man, there has to be something we can do. We could just lock him up," Oscar suggested. Non of them were getting the point. _The whole reason we cut Hershel's leg was for that! So he didn't turn and try to kill us all. To save his life!_

"Quarantine him," Axel suggested, his arms were still crossed over his chest and I looked around, noticing that everyone was watching me. Even T and Daryl. _Everyone...looking to me for answers and no one is listening!_

"We gotta do something. Why you just standing there? We gotta save him," Andrew asked, angered and nervous about the whole sitation. _I understand they might all be friends but...there is no way of saving him! Non at all!_

"There's nothing we can do," I tell them, trying to make them see but still trying to keep them calm. To tell them that there was nothing left for this guy other than death. There was no way he was going to survive. No chance in hell. No matter how much they want to preserve his life.

"You son of a bitch," Andrew growled at me, his grip on the basball bat was stronger and I watched him curiously. _How could he say that when he is being so ignorant he thinks he knows it all when in fact he isn't listening to a word I say._

"I'm all ri-" big tiny went to say but was quickly smashed in the face with a silent weapon by Tomas. He kept hitting his head in, blood splattering everywhere, brain spilling and the foul look making our faces scrunch up in disgust. It was a vile sight. When Tomas was done, he looked to us and walked away.

"You see the look on his face?" I asked Daryl, knowing the look that was plastered on their face. It was the same look that Shane had before he died. The one I would see from time to time. _Bloodlust. This guy wants death._

"He makes one move, just give me a signal," Daryl suggested and backed me up. I knew I could trust that he would kill this guy if the need arised. That this guy was a threat. _He has the same look Shane had in his eyes. He must have been a murderer..._

"I ain't opening that," Tomas said as he looked to me, his eyes angry and surprised. Glancing down at the keys I chucked to him, he looked at me curious, angry and slightly confused. Like I was putting his life on the line.

"Yes, you are. If you want this cell block, you're gonna open that door. Just the one, not both of them. Because we need to control this," I explain to him, trying to make him grow a pair and do something that would put him at risk and make us alert.

"You bitches ready? I got this," he said after a few tugs, he opened both doors and walkers began to climb out. We fought as many as we could and tried to keep formation, others stepping up and killing them as they wanted to. _This is madness!_

"I said one door!" I shouted at him as I sliced at a walker. They kept climbing out and it felt endless. We kept killing, my eyes were locked on the guy who opened the door and then to the walkers that got too close for comfort.

"Shit happens," he declared as he kept killing walkers. He then jabbed one, a murderous look on his face and threw it to me. The walker was still alive and grabbed at me, covering me as I tried to keep him away from me, both of us on the ground. Struggling I then heard shuffling feet come running after me.

"T, mind the gap!" Daryl growled as he ran towards me and killed the walker, helping me up and getting back to the others. We saw that the walkers were slowing down and that there weren't any more chasing towards us. Hungry and no more moaning or growling.

"It was coming at me, bro," Tomas said as we stared to each other, the sweat and slight fear from the walker had made my skin shine with sweat. My hand gripping my machete..._my daughter's machete. _My eyes glued on him as my jaw clenched.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I get it. Shit happens," I agreed, nodding and looking around. I then stared at him, I could see his body shivering and his mouth slightly agape, thinking of what I could possibly do and was probably afraid. _Yes. Be afraid._

"No!" someone screamed as I swung my machete down on the top of Tomas' head, he stuck to it and I kicked his body off my machete. Andrew went to kill me but I kicked him down, Daryl raised his crossbow and T-Dog grew alert.

"Ah! Easy, now," Daryl growled but he then turned and ran, my nostrils flaring and my heart pounding. _Fucker is so scared he runs away? Why does no one have the balls to kill me themselves? Instead of running away or trying to get walkers to do the job._

"I got him," I tell them as I ran after him, chasing him down hallways and reaching corners. When I saw him run out, he ended up in a court yard, his back to me and there were walkers around, surrounding him and getting closer to him. _He's screwed._

"Let me back in, man. Let me back in! Open it up, man! Open up! Open up," Andrew pleaded, I didn't care. Looking around, I ended up shutting him in and locking him out of it. Walkers closing in on him and I just didn't give a fuck.

"You'd better run," I tell him. _If he's smart he'll run. If he's smarter...he'll run away and never come back. This place isn't for him and never will be again. Hopefully...walkers get him. _Walking away, I headed back to the others and saw that Daryl and T-Dog had the other two on their knees, weapons pointed to their heads.

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"Somebody help! Somebody! Please help!" I could hear Beth shouting through the cell block. Running to find them, I had seen that Hershel had stopped breathing. Much like how my daughter did years ago and began to check him for a pulse. It was slowing down.

"Come on. Come on," I encouraged him and myself to start breathing again. Blowing air through his mouth, covering his nose and then pumping his chest like I once had to for my daughter. Remembering each step like it was yesterday. Doing it I was then stunned when I felt a hand grab at my hair.

"No!" everyone screamed that were around me, Maggie and Beth pulling to away from Hershel who had grabbed the back of my head, frightening us. Hersehl then slowly began to breath again, his breathing was calm and his eyes were shut once more. He had fallen back to sleep. Looking to Carl I had seen he had his gun up, ready to shoot and his aim shaky at the possible thought of having to shoot Hershel down.

**RPOV**

"We didn't have nothing to do with that," Axel pleaded, tears were streaming down his face. He was scared, terrified and clearly pleading for his life. T-Dog had his eyes and gun aimed on Axel.

"You didn't know? You knew. Daryl, let's end this now," I growled as I saw Daryl hold his gun up, keeping it pressed to Oscar's head. Pacing around, I tried to create the tension I had feeling inside of me from the moment the doors opened.

"Sir, please, please, listen to me! It was them that was bad. It wasn't us," Axel pleaded as I aimed the barrel to his forhead. He trembled and pleaded, close to sobbing in front of us.

"Oh, that's convenient," I held back my laugh. _Considering that they are criminals and that they were in here for their reasons. How can he say they are good people when they are judged guilty._

"You saw what he did to Tiny. He was my friend. Please, we ain't like that. I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm no killer. Oscar here, he's a B and E, and he ain't very good at it neither. We ain't the violent kind, they were! Please, I swear to God! I wanna live!" Axel pleaded for the both of them.

"What about you?" I asked as I turned around and pressed the gun against Oscar's forhead. The barrel pressed up against his forehead. He didn't shiver or plead. Or even cry if I could convince him any more that he was going to die.

"I ain't never pleaded for my life...and I ain't about to start now. So you do what you gotta do," Oscar suggested to me. His eyes hard and his jaw clenching. He seemed so ready to die. He wasn't afraid.

"Oh, man. I knew these guys. They were good men," Axel said as I respected the two, taking their word but keeping my decision set from everything I said earlier. Walking into the jail block, we saw the cells were all opened and that there were shot bodies were on the ground.

"Let's go," I tell them as I walked towards T-Dog who clutched to the bars and looked to the others, looking to Daryl as I passed and looked over my shoulder to the prisoners. Keeping my machete in hand and going to turn back.

"So you're just gonna leave us in here?" Axel asked us, calling back to me and I just stayed silent. _Of course we were. They haven't proven they can be fully trusted._

"Man, this is sick," Oscar said. _This isn't sick. Sick is what we've been through. What we've seen and haven't seen. My daughter...dead. That's sick._

"We're locking down this cell block. From now on, this part of the prison is yours. Take it or leave it. That was the deal," I tell them, keeping my deal firm and reminding them that it was a deal and that was it.

"You think this is sick? You don't wanna know what's outside. Consider yourselves the lucky ones. Sorry about your friends, man," Daryl spoke as I stood beside T-Dog.

"A word of advice...take those bodies outside and burn them," I heard T say but me and Daryl waited a little down the hall, remembering the way back to the others.

"Hershel stopped breathing. Mom saved him," Carl told me. My eyes looking up to Lori and seeing her smile sadly. _She used mouth to mouth...on our daughter...saved her too. It must have been hard for her to do that again..._

"It's true," Glenn agreed when he looked to me and then to Lori. Carl seem pleased with Lori's actions. We all were. Hershel could probably live now and...maybe he is all right. Maybe we can survive now.

"Still no fever," Lori informed me as we all stood around Hershel, watching him and waiting patiently for him to wake up or turn into a walker. Curious, we then saw him start to move and breath a little more regularly.

We then saw Hershel slowly open his eyes, his blue eyes looked up at me and his hand reached out to take mine. Holding it, I chuckled and smiled at them, feeling slight tears form in my eyes of joy. "Come here," I said as the girls called for their dad, allowing them to take my place and following after Lori who had left to be alone. _She's thinking of her...our daughter._

* * *

><p><strong>LPOV<strong>

"We'll start cleaning tomorrow," Rick spoke as he got closer to me, I needed to get some air and to keep away from the girls being with their dad. Feeling alone and lost since my daughter had died. It had been hard these months. Terribly hard. So hard that I could barely think without remembering her.

"Yeah. It'll give Carl a safe place to do whatever he does these days," I agreed. The two of us actually speaking about something without it suddenly turning into an argument. Carl had seemed so...distraught ever since his sister died. Never speaking and always acting, being reckless and never listening to us.

"For the record, I-...I don't think you're a bad mother," Rick tried to speak comforting, looking to him I saw him stare out into the distance. _I don't know if I should believe him or not. He still thinks I left our daughter there to die...and I did. Even if I wanted to do something...it was too late._

"Well, wife is a different story. For better or worse, right? I mean, what are we gonna do? Hire lawyers and get divorced and split our assets?" I teased, thinking of the life we all once had and made Rick smile, chuckling lightly. "We got food. Hershel's alive. Today was a good day," I sniffed as I thought off all we had been through these past few hours. _It was way too much to take in._

"He'd be dead if it weren't for you," Rick said trying to make me feel appreciated. _He hasn't said something like that to me since we left the farm...he's been so cold towards me and the others since our daughter's death. I...I bet he's thinking of her right now._

"You're the one that acted fast. If you hadn't done what you did, then...I thought maybe you were coming out here to talk about us. Maybe there's nothing to talk about anymore," I said as I looked to him, looking away I could feel the pain in my chest and how hurt I was. _He's grown so distant and cold...I feel like he doesn't love me anymore._

"We're awful grateful for what you did," Rick said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. Tears began to build at the thought of when I saved our daughter. Of how he looked at the distance just now. That was when I knew he was trying. When he walked away, I let the tears fall and pressed my cheek to where his hand once was. The warmth of it made my heart swell and shatter at the same time. _I wish it was all back to the way it used to be..._

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><p><strong>So...what did you think? There may be some Andrea POV's and possibly Michonne's POV but...we'll have to see in the next chapter won't we? Thank you everyone who reviewed the chapter before this one! I got all 5 reviews in under 24 hours! Amazing! Can we do the same again for this chapter? Answer this: What do you think Kat will be like in the next chapter where it's just her, Michonne and Andrea arriving to Woodbury? Just 5 reviews again please! So I can post the next chapter as quickly as I can.<strong>

**Now...replies to reviews!**

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><p><strong>Purple Dragon Ranger: I do too. The Daryl kissing Kat...that's unlikely dear. Sorry. Staying true to both Daryl and Kat's characters. They aren't the type to respond like that. Especially when they barely know each other like they do. So...sorry dear. Thank you for your review!<strong>

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><p><strong>kayley . docherty: I already know when I plan to let Kat reunite with her family. There's going to be hard decisions she'll have to make but...it will help the development of her character. Trust me dear. Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're loving the story!<strong>

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><p><strong>redangel2463: I know Andrea was annoying but...that's what Andrea would simply think. It's how I believe it happened seeing as they went to where they left the supplies for Sophia and it was gone. But you know Kat...she doesn't go down without a fight. Kat and Michonne will grow gradually too because well...Michonne is a complex character as you know. Kat will keep her thoughts to herself but...she's curious too about Michonne's past. Thanks for your review dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>Guest: I'm glad you're enjoying this story! I love writing it myself. There is still a lot of amazing moments to come! Stay tuned! Thank you for your review dear!<strong>

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><p><strong>Caity6991: Don't worry about Daryl and Carol. They're just...really good friends. Family almost but...what type of relationship. I won't tell until...maybe season 5. They've been through a lot over the 8 months. All of them. Kat with Andrea and Michonne. The group with each other and well...it makes them feel like family and like they can all trust each other. Do you understand dear? As for the Woodbury stuff...wait for the next chapter dear! Thank you for your review!<strong>

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><p><strong>moonlite982: Wow! What a review! Thank you! I hope work slows down a little. As for the characters...I'm glad you like Kat! Especially with her family. Daryl well...I see him as distant through season 1 and 2. Season 3...a lot of time has passed. For both groups. So they've strengthened. All of them. Whereas...I see Daryl forgiving at times or sorrowful when it comes to loved ones. For example, Carl when he lost his mom and Daryl was sorry. Daryl is more comfortable now in his role. He is Rick's wingman. I will take your words into account! Thank you!<strong>

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><p><strong>An Amber Pen: Glad you like it! Thank you for the review!<strong>

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><p><strong>Happy new year!<strong>

**Until the 5 reviews...**

**Much love!**

**HeroJustInTime90 x**


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